Elusive
by InConstantTurmoil
Summary: Cassandra was realatively normal, or so she thought. That was before she started having dreams about the death of a random guy, and his friends. No matter what she did, she couldn't save him, she couldn't save any of them. And it broke her damn heart. She wanted to forget about him, and the dreams. A vacation would work perfectly right? Wrong.
1. i

(I own nothing but my original characters.)

Dreams.

She had been having them for the past fucking week and felt like she hadn't slept but a mere 2 hours in that week. What pissed her off the most was that the dreams didn't make a lick of sense. Who the shit was this guy she was dreaming about, and who hated him THAT much to kill him as many times as she saw?

The worst part was, was that it shook her to her very core every time she saw him die. She didn't even know him, why did she care whether he lived or not? She supposed she didn't care all too much, but then again she woke up every night in a dead sweat and feeling like her heart was going to explode. The one thing she did know though, was that she NEEDED sleep, and to forget about the stranger who had better hair than she did.

"CASS!" … "CASSANDRA!" A voice screamed, though she was so far zoned out she couldn't decipher who it was while she was still so far stuck in her head. Damn getting no sleep. Damn whoever is screaming. Damn being at work. And you know what? Damn this guy for being a little shit and dying so many damn times.

"Huh? What?" She scrambled for words even though she had no idea what had happened in the last 10 minutes. She then refocused her sights and mind and realized she was behind the bar with her co-worker, Erin waving her hands in front of her face, as if that would clear the cobwebs from Cassandra's mind. Cass didn't even believe a broom could help her.

"Jesus, where did you go space cadet? Thought you had died." Erin huffed, clearly annoyed with her. To be fair, she had probably been standing there for awhile trying to get her attention.

"Er, sorry. I was...somewhere else." She didn't know how exactly to explain her sleepless nights to Erin, especially about the guy that could either be alive, or very dead.

"Well no shit. Have you been zoning out like that for a long time? You might want to get that checked out if i were you, I was about to poke you in the eye." Erin narrowed her eyes at her, as if still contemplating whether she still wanted to or not.

"Yes, well thank god you didn't. That would have hurt and I can barely see as we speak." She grumbled, rubbing her eyes for extra emphasis.

"What's got you so worked up?" She asked, wiping down the bar as the last customer walked out, throwing a 'see ya' over his shoulder before stumbling out.

Cass watched him walk out, trip, curse, and then pull out his car keys. "I don't know, I haven't been sleeping lately. Been having these crazy ass dreams. They scare me so much I can't fall back asleep." She began picking up dirty glasses and setting them in the sink behind the bar, trying to help. She felt terrible for not being much help tonight.

"Want to talk about it?" Erin asked, throwing the towel into the hamper.

Cass thought, then just decided to go the easy route, "I don't really know how to explain, but basically I see this guy die every night."

Erin stared at her for a few seconds, "this guy?" she questioned

"Uh huh, never seen him before but he dies every night. It's starting to freak me out." She wrapped her honey colored hair around her fist, thinking about going to get the color re-touched up tomorrow.

"Is he hot?" Erin raised a brow, and for some reason the question hit somewhere in Cass that she didn't like. She didn't want Erin to question about his looks, she didn't even want her to know about him at all, in fact.

"Well, he's usually covered in blood so I'm super unsure. How is that a reasonable question anyways?" Cass shot a glare at the younger girl and crossed her arms.

"Hey I was just asking" she put her hands up in mock surrender, "I'm just saying it could be worse if the guy was super ugly, you would be dreaming about an ugly guy AND his death." She justified, giving her a smug look.

All Cass could do was stare at her for a moment. Erin was if anything, a little vain, but she supposed she had a point, in a way.

"I guess you're right, I still don't want to be witnessing a guy dying over and over again though." She sighed and leaned back, absolutely exhausted.

"Know what you need?" Erin asked, drumming her fingers over her lips as she stared at Cass, who was rolling her shoulders.

"What's that?" Cass answered, rolling her head to look at the blonde.

"A vacation!" Erin exclaimed, banging her hands against the bar, excited as hell, and startling Cass.

A vacation? Cass hasn't had one in years, and she certainly wasn't expecting Erin to suggest it. Erin must have sensed her confusion, because she hurriedly explained, "Oh my god yes! I've been dying to visit the beach lately, and I have some cousins who have a beach house in Santa Carla. They aren't there, but all we would need is transportation, and food! It's perfect!" Erin fixed Cass with a puppy dog look, something Cass never had the heart to say no to. Human or not.

"What about work? Danny will be pissed." The only straw left to grasp, and she knew it was the short one.

"Please! Danny just hired 3 more girls, and he says we work too much anyways. He would be thrilled! Come on, it will be so fun! Please!" Erin begged, holding her fists together.

Cass sighed, she figured she did need a vacation. "Fine fine. When do we leave?" she smiled at the blonde, and immediately the blonde jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Tomorrow of course, should only take us a couple of hours to get there. We'll stay for a week, then head back. Sound good?" Erin hugged her, and grabbed her things, "Your car is ok to make it?" She asked, pulling her purse over her shoulder.

"Yeah it will make it." Cass grabbed her things as well, swinging her keys around her finger. She followed Erin out of the bar, switching off the lights, while Erin stuck a note to the bar, letting their boss know they would both be out of town. Then, she followed Cass out the door and watched as she locked up.

"Ok, meet me here around 9?" Erin asked, heading to her car.

"Sounds great." Cass smiled at Erin as she got into her car. She watched Erin give her a wave, and then watched her taillights fade away into the night. Cass just hoped she could get a decent amount of sleep tonight, she was going to need it if she was going to be driving tomorrow morning. And if she was going to spend the week with Erin, that girl was hell on wheels. Though she supposed she wasn't much different.

She promised herself as she packed her things that this vacation, she was going to forget about this mysterious stranger, and not think about death at all. As she laid down, her nerves and excitement threatened to keep her awake, but she was so exhausted that as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

 _There was a swooshing noise, and then Cassandra was on her knees, coughing and crying. Why was she crying?_

 _She looked around and saw she was in a cave, it was still dark out, but not pitch black out, meaning the sun would rise soon, and for some reason, she knew that wasn't a good thing. Why would it be good, she wondered. Sun meant light, and this place needed way more. She ran around the cave, trying to figure out what she was doing here, why was she so scared? Then she heard laughter, and turned to see 4 figures at the entrance of the cave. They all stared at her before one stepped forward, "who are you?" he questioned. He had a cruel look in his eyes, but his face was innocent she couldn't tell if she was imagining it or not._

" _I'm Cassandra, who are you? Where am I?" She questioned, darting her eyes around to look for any sort of clue._

" _Well we're the lost boys, and you're in our home." Another stepped forward, blowing smoke out of his mouth. She watched it curl and then float out into the air. Her eyebrows furrowed, the lost boys? Who calls themselves that. She liked Peter Pan as much as the next girl, but she wouldn't be calling herself Wendy anytime soon._

" _Well I'm sorry if I'm intruding. But I don't remember how I got here, I was… well I don't remember where I was, but I heard a noise that closely resembled wings and then I was knocked down. And then you guys showed up." She was stumped, scratching her head trying to remember where she was before she got here. Coming up short because she didn't even know where here was, she didn't even know if she was still in the United States. She watched as they all shared a glance, before looking at her, then looking at each other again._

" _Think she knows anything? Should we knock her out?" One questioned, though she couldn't quite make him out because of the one still standing in her line of sight. She didn't particularly want to look at anyone else though. But wait hold on? Knock her out? Where the blue fuck was she, and why on earth did they want to knock her out. Great. Just what she needed to wake up and still not know what was going on. To top it off, the one in front of her was still staring at her. She was still trying to figure out if he just faked that innocence or not._

" _Hello? Standing literally 5 feet from you. Even if I can't see you, you are NOT allowed to knock me out. Who says that in front of someone anyways?" She huffed, crossing her arms. They all laughed, before turning serious. They all turned and something flew into the cave. She was knocked onto the ground by the one that had been staring at her._

" _Stay down!" he hissed, about to stand up._

" _No!" She yelled, grabbing his arms and pulling him closer. She couldn't imagine him leaving her, she wanted to stay exactly where he was for as long as they both could stand it. His body felt nice slotted against hers, and he smelt like sea breeze and oil, a mixture that would smell terrible on anyone else but him. "Don't stand up, something doesn't feel right." She begged, she knew something was terrible wrong. Knew she had to convince him to stay with her. She may have been scared for her well being, but she was more scared for his. Her eyes stared at his, before darting around. Looking for the threat._

 _He stared at her for a moment, and gave her a smile, a real one. His hand made a sweeping motion over face, causing a few stray hairs to fall onto the floor. Her eyes closed and she moved closer to his hand._

" _I'll be fine. Just stay here, and I'll be back in a second. Ok?" He asked, gently prying her hands off of his jacket. Her eyes popped open and she whimpered, but nodded anyways and looked away. He got up and took about 4 steps, before being thrown backwards, he landed right next to her. Only, he now had a piece of wood sticking out his chest. He was screaming, and then she was screaming and scrambling to help him. He was bleeding, and crying and she was crying. And she didn't know what to do. A whispered "Cassandra" and then he stopped moving. She screamed,_

And then woke up. Cass blinked and sat up straight, clutching her chest and trying to slow her breathing. She groaned and felt like crying, another dream and no more answers. But she did see his face this time, and yes he was hot. So hot. She wanted to know him, it had felt so real to hold onto him. She looked at her window and saw it was nearing dawn. She figured she wasn't getting any more sleep, but at least she got more sleep than normal. She threw the covers off and went to make herself coffee. After drinking it, she decided to shower. Then pack her last minute things before taking off to meet Erin.

She pulled up at 9:06, though she knew Erin was late for everything. After about 15 minutes Erin slammed her hand on the glass, expertly frightening the shit out of Cassandra. She hadn't even realized she zoned out. Erin laughed and threw her things into her trunk, before climbing into the passenger seat.

"I hate you" Cass grumbled to her friend, taking off towards Santa Carla.

"Why I'm lovely?" Erin laughed, fiddling with the radio. They sang and danced horribly the entire way there, only stopping once to pee, get gas, and get snacks. By the time they reached Santa Carla, it was late afternoon. Once at the beach house, they both sank onto the couch. Taking a rest from the long trip.

"Alright! Shower, and then we're heading to the boardwalk!" Erin exclaimed, walking off towards the bathroom. Cass didn't move right away, she had this odd feeling in her gut. Like something weird was going to happen. She chalked if off as being excited, nervous, and tired. So she did what Erin asked and showered.

She pulled on black ripped jeans, a white tight fitting crop top, her leather jacket and her black boots. Leaving her hair to dry naturally. They were in walking distance to the pier, so they set off, almost skipping there. Once reaching the boardwalk, they grabbed some unhealthy sweets, and strolled around, taking in their surroundings.

Cass was happily tearing off pieces of her cotton candy, glancing around at everything and trying to avoid being bumped into. The place was packed, and had too much going on. It almost gave her whiplash for all the things she was trying to get a look at. Until, she spotted blonde hair. She froze, effectively stopping Erin as well since her arm was linked with hers.

"What's up? See a ride you wanna ride?" Erin asked, glancing in the general direction Cass was staring in. Cass didn't reply, she couldn't she was literally frozen, she would know that hair anywhere so she stared. Stared at all of them. A gap opened up in the crowd, and she could see them more clearly. They all decided to turn around and look at her.

"Oh I see, staring at hot guys? At least close your mouth, they'll be scared of you if you don't" Erin rambled on, nudging Cass with her elbow.

Cass' eyes were wide, and she knew she looked stupid. Knew she needed to run, to do something but stare at them stupidly. But instead, she said "remember those dreams?" She whispered, still not taking her eyes off of the men.

"Yeah?" Erin asked confused, looking from Cass back to the men.

"Well that one on the very far right has been the victim every night in those dreams." She closed her eyes, wanted to scream. Wanted to go back home. She opened her eyes, they all looked slightly horrified. Then they looked at each other, dismounted their bikes, and made their way over to them,

'Ah hell' she thought. Why her?


	2. ii

_Cass' eyes were wide, and she knew she looked stupid. Knew she needed to run, to do something but stare at them stupidly. But instead, she said "remember those dreams?" She whispered, still not taking her eyes off of the men._

 _"Yeah?" Erin asked confused, looking from Cass back to the men._

 _"Well that one on the very far right has been the victim every night in those dreams." She closed her eyes, wanted to scream. Wanted to go back home. She opened her eyes, they all looked slightly horrified. Then they looked at each other, dismounted their bikes, and made their way over to them,_

 _'Ah hell' she thought. Why her?_

"Uhm… hahah… what?" Erin stumbled over her words, confused beyond measure. Which wasn't fair in Cass' eyes, she was the confused one here. _She_ was the one having dreams about these guys, not Erin. _She_ was the one that had to watch them die. Cass didn't think there were real, she just thought they were bad dreams, uber hot looking bad boys her mind made up in her 'I've been single for years, please don't judge me, but love me' phase. But they were very real. And very walking towards her.

She panicked.

"Wow a freaking hot dog!? Sounds delicious, let's make like a fetus and head out!" She yelled, grabbing Erin by the elbow and sprinting off in the opposite direction. Erin wasn't exactly coming willinging, and was stumbling over her feet because of how incredibly confused she still was.

"Wha…?" Erin questioned, a master at the English language, clearly "Hot dog? What about hot men?" Erin's eyes widened, and turned to stare at the men. They were looking after them with bewildered expressions. She knew she couldn't avoid them, but she could scramble for time and try and come up with a logical explanation, she thought. Yeah, right.

They got distance between them and the boys and they both stopped. Cass felt lightheaded and was out of breath. She wasn't a runner by any means, hell she didn't even like to _walk_ most of the time, so yeah she was winded. Erin seemed unruffled and was staring at her with a blank expression.

"Care to explain?" She fixed the shorter girl with a glare and crossed her arms.

"Hahah, uh, funny story. Ya see I can't really do that." Cass popped her knuckles, a nervous habit that made Erin cringe.

"And why is that?" Erin raised a brow

"Well because I don't understand myself. Cass scrubbed a hand down her face. She wasn't lying though.

They both sat in silence, Cass glimpsed briefly at Erin, who in turn was staring at something right behind her. She opened her mouth to speak when,

"Hello ladies. Enjoying the boardwalk tonight?" A deep voice asked, before chucking. The sound was menacing, and she felt like he knew something she didn't. And she sure as shit didn't like it. She sighed. Erin the ever observant friend smiled at them.

"Yes we are. Though I think there are other places we should probably be." Erin shrugged and flipped a glance at Cass.

"At this present moment anyways." Cass mumbled, using her thumb and pointer finger to squeeze her nose, as if that would make her larger than life headache go away.

"What was that?" the same voice questioned, though she had a feeling they all had heard her.

"I said, sure and how about you guys?" She turned and faced them head on.

Big mistake. They so closely resembled her dreams that it made her dizzy. She clung a hand to her forehead, "on second thought though, I feel a headache coming on." She pinched her eyes closed. For the second time tonight, she questioned why her?

"Ah, well that's not good. Marijana normally helps me with that!" The blonde whose hair would most definitely be categorized as a small mountain yelled. Laughing and clapping the only brunette of the group on the back. Cass could only stare at him. He was kidding right, he didn't look like he ever needed marijuana again, no drug in fact. He needed water, and.. Something else entirely that she wasn't sure he could find anywhere near here.

"What an excellent idea! I shall go find some right now!" Cass exclaimed, turning to grab Erin, who was also staring at the blonde, looking at him as if he was from another world.

"Oh no worries girl! I got some right here!" He laughed, shoving a joint under her nose, making her go cross-eyed for a moment.

"Lovely." She smiled, she was being sarcastic but he didn't seem to notice because he was lighting it up. Inhaling deeply and blowing the smoke in her face. She coughed and waved it away, shooting him a glare.

"Want some girl?" He questioned, giving her a dazed smile.

"On second thought. Food, or maybe a bed sounds better." _bed definitely sounded better. Maybe I'll wake up and this will all be a bad dream…_

 _No chance._ The voice sounded male but when she looked up at the guys they were watching Erin who was taking a hit off of the joint, well besides the one she had been dreaming about. He was staring at her with his eyes narrowed. He had the cruelty in his eyes, and the innocent look like she remembered, but so much cuter. No fair.

He raised a brow at her "I'm Marko, by the way. This absolute idiot is Paul," he clapped the druggie on the back, causing him to cough out the smoke.

"Hey, I wasn't ready to let it out yet!" Paul huffed, crossing his arms like a child. She didn't know if she was more worried about the fact that he didn't catch that he was just called an idiot, or that maybe he had been called an idiot so many times that he just didn't notice anymore. Or the fact that the literal man of her dreams was speaking to her.

"This statue is Dwayne" he nodded to, in fact a statue, he was the brunette. She supposed he was cute in his own way, ruggedly handsome she figured was the appropriate term to use. He stared at her and gave her a nod, them went back to just staring at her. She wasn't sure if she imagined his nod or not so she mumbled an 'ok' and moved on to the final boy. He was smoking a cigarette and was staring at her with a thoughtful expression, he still looked no less menacing.

"And I'm David." He greeted, giving her a smirk.

"Hey I wanted to hear what Marko called you!" Paul yelled, jabbing a finger in Marko's direction, who barely moved out of the way before it poked him in the eye. He gave Paul a withering look before looking back at her. Cass couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his facial expression. Shit he was cute. Help. He smirked at her as if he knew was she was thinking.

"Marko would never call me a name. Right Marko?" David questioned, still not removing his gaze from her.

"Sure thing boss." David merely rolled his eyes and raised a brow at Cass.

They stared at each other for a moment, before "OH! I'm Cassandra, but everyone calls me Cass. And this is my…" she moved her head indicating Erin before she stopped because Erin interrupted her from laughing. They all stared at her.

" _Cassandra,_ such a frivolous name. Hahahah!" Erin laughed again. All Cass could do was sigh and look up to the sky…. Why me?

"Erin. Her name is Erin." Cass shook her head, giving them her best apology look.

"Cassandra?" Marko tried the name on his tongue, it rolled fluently and elegantly and she was probably infatuated with this man.

"Uh yeah, but Cass works." She gave him a small smile, shrugging her shoulders.

"I like Cassandra better." Marko gave her a smirk, and the others nodded their affirmations at calling her Cassandra from here on out. She supposed there could be worse things than being called by her full name.

"So how about some food? I'm starved." Erin groaned, clutching her stomach.

"Yeah yeah. We should go get her food, she would probably try to eat one of you, if she gets too hungry!" Cass shrugged and turned towards where she thought a restaurant would be.

They all started laughing all as one, as if there was a hidden joke that she didn't hear or get. This is turn caused Erin to start laughing with them and Cass had absolutely no idea what to do in that moment. They all stopped laughing, except for Erin, who was clutching her sides and borderline crying. Either the weed was much stronger than Cass thought, or Erin was just simply losing it. She hoped it was the former.

"Hey that was funny!" Paul let out another giggle, and wiped at a nonexistent tear in his eye.

"Right well. We're gonna go get food." She jabbed her finger at the nearest restaurant and grabbed Erin to follow after her. She really hoped she would behave because she could not handle this inside of such a public place.

"Hey, I think we'll join you guys. I think we're all so hungry we might be tempted to eat one of you guys!" David gave her a smile, before walking past her, his boots making a sound that didn't quite sit well with her, and his coat billowing behind him. She also didn't like the way he said that. Marko gave her an impish smile and followed after him.

Why did she have a feeling that perhaps honesty was one of the only positive traits David had?


	3. iii

_"Hey, I think we'll join you guys. I think we're all so hungry we might be tempted to eat one of you guys!" David gave her a smile, before walking past her, his boots making a sound that didn't quite sit well with her, and his coat billowing behind him. She also didn't like the way he said that. Marko gave her an impish smile and followed after him._

 _Why did she have a feeling that perhaps honesty was one of the only positive traits David had?_

…

They all settled into silence as they walked towards a burger joint. The crowd on the boardwalk seemed to flow around them as if they knew David and his boys owned this place, she wondered if they thought so too. They had a certain way of holding themselves that you couldn't find in most normal people. They made you want to be around them, even if they scared the shit out of you. Paul was murmuring something to Dwayne, who in turn only nodded back to him. David spared a glance back at Cass, who gave him a small smile in return, he then turned to look at Marko who was right beside him. Marko wasn't paying attention though, he seemed to be lost in his own mind.

Once reaching the place, they found a table outside and the waitress immediately was at their table. She gave a flirty glance to the boys, her eyes lingering on Marko for a moment longer than the others. This caused Cass' anger to flare, though she had no idea why. Marko tilted his head at her, as if hearing her inner turmoil. He raised a brow at her, and she raised one back.

"Are you going to order something to drink?" He questioned, it was then that she realized everyone was staring at her, including the waitress.

"Oh, yeah I'll take a water, please." She took the menu that was offered to her and began skimming over it. She wasn't particularly hungry but she had only been snacking all day so she figured she needed more substance. Erin was being more quiet than usual, and she didn't know if she was thankful for that, or worried for her. The waitress left with their drink orders and David turned to them.

"So where are you 2 from?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and fixing them with a cold stare. Cass eyed him before casting a glance to Erin, who also was eyeing David.

"Around" Cass stated, shrugging her shoulders. They all 4 stared at her, not expecting her to not answer truthfully. But what did they expect? The 2 girls didn't know them, and Cass certainly wasn't going to tell them where they lived, that's how people got kidnapped, or worse, died.

"...ok so what do you guys do then?" Paul questioned, seemingly trying to diffuse the tension that was curling around the group.

"We work at a bar." Erin answered, giving him a smile. Cass gave him one as well, silently thanking him for changing the subject.

"Oh that's awesome! Is it fun?" Paul tilted his head, his smile bright.

Cass snorted "yeah, sure. If you don't mind underage kids trying to come in, weird and mostly old guys hitting on you constantly, the clean-up, or your butt being grabbed all the time. More people have touched my butt then I have touched my butt, and that's saying something." Cass grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Erin made a noise in the back of her throat that indicated she agreed with her, but also didn't want to admit that in front of them. Cass spared a glance at the girl and shrugged as if saying 'so what?'

Paul bursted out laughing and Cass immediately wished she hadn't said anything at all. She gave a quick glance to Marko who was giving her a dark look. She didn't like it so she turned away, looking at Paul who had just regained his composure.

"Girl I like you. So I take it you don't like working there then?" He asked, giving her another beaming smile. Cass decided that she liked him the most.

"No I love it. Those things are just small road bumps, the pay and the tips are worth it. I also like having my days free." Cass looked for the waitress and was relieved to see her walking towards them, drinks in tow. She was thirsty because of the cotton candy and all of the talking she had done.

"And some of the guys that come in aren't THAT bad" Erin added in, accepting her drink and taking a big gulp of the soda. Cass shot her a disgusted look, she hated soda. Cass accepted hers and took a big gulp as well, already feeling better when the cool liquid refreshed her mouth.

"Do you agree with her Cassandra?" David asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Agree with what?" Cass replied

"That not all of the guys that come in are that bad?"

"Yes and no. Some aren't bad, but they aren't the type of people I'd surround myself with." She shrugged and ordered cheese fries and a chocolate milkshake.

Erin snorted, "No Cass doesn't really hangout with anyone besides me. Actually I've only seen you with one guy and that was your ex." Cass visibly flinched at the word ex and tried to cover it with pulling her jacket tighter to her body.

"I don't like most people." She shrugged, that was the only answer needed, and the only she was willing to give.

"I take it, you don't get along with your ex then?" David questioned, taking out a cigarette. This was like her dream, his smoke curled and then floated into the open air. And maybe her flinch was more noticeable then she thought. She didn't understand why David was interested in that type of information, but she figured it was because he was trying to make her uncomfortable.

She shrugged "not really no. Does anyone get along with their ex?" She questioned, dodging the question for the most part.

"Nah. They are your ex for a reason!" Paul exclaimed, bobbing his head in agreement with himself. Cass bobbed her head with him, yeah sure she'd go with that.

"So I have to ask. Why were you staring at us on the boardwalk? You looked like you saw a ghost." David leaned forward on his elbows, fixing her with a stare she thought was trying to puncture her very soul. In truth, they were like ghosts to her.

She cringed, but didn't exactly lie "Marko looked like someone I once knew, it was a mistake. Once I realized it wasn't him at all, I realized I was staring and got embarrassed so I ran. And now here we are." Cass rubbed her forehead, leaning forward on the table as well.

"And here we are" Marko mocked, picking his drink up for the first time and took a sip. Before she could ask why he was looking at her the way that he was, their food was placed in front of them. Saved by the food she thought. She dug into her fries, trying not to pay attention to the guys, or Erin. Erin and Paul seemed to be having a conversation, that even Dwayne joined in on. Dwayne was exactly Erin's type and it worried Cass.

"So after this you guys wanna go for a ride?" Paul asked, popping one of Cass' fries into his mouth. Cass shot a glare at him and pulled her fries closer to her, he gave her a sad look and she immediately felt bad. She sighed but held her fries out to him, his smile instantly returned. He grabbed a few and shoved most of them into his mouth, Cass shook her head at his antics and returned to eating her food.

"Sure we'd love to!" Erin answered for the both of them.

"Awesome! Let's go!" Paul pushed his chair back and the rest of them followed, leaving Cass to gulp down her water. She did not want to go. She just wanted to go back to the house and lay down. Where she could think in peace and quiet and hopefully not dream anymore.

Erin immediately went to Dwayne's bike, who expertly helped her onto the back. David looked as if there were no possible way in hell that anyone was riding with him, she wouldn't have chose him anyways. So that left Marko and Paul, she really wanted to ride with Marko, and took a small step in his direction.

"Nah ride with Paul." He nodded his head towards the other blonde and started his bike. She was immediately embarrassed, and his rejection stung.

"Hop on girl!" Paul laughed and helped her onto his bike. He took her arms and wrapped them securely around his waist, patting her hand and revving his engine. She heard something that closely resembled a growl, but decided to chalk it off as her imagination. David took off first, then Dwayne, then Marko was about to follow before Paul took off before him. Scaring the shit out of Cassandra, who in turn grabbed him tighter and buried her face into his back. Paul laughed and raced off, basically leaving Marko in the dust. It didn't take long for him to catch up though, he rode side by side with them for a moment, shooting her an odd look, and a glare at Paul before racing ahead of them.

"You better leave his ass in the dust Paul!" Cass shouted into his ear, he winced at her shout but nodded and laughed, squeezing harder on his gas.

"Hell yeah we will girl!" He pumped his fist and she screamed, swatting his shoulder.

"Pay attention you little shit!" She squealed, grabbing him harder. He rode right beside Marko before shouting "see ya suckaaaa!" and shot past him. Cass looked back at him and he looked absolutely murderous. She laughed and turned back around, and whooped, which caused Paul to repeat her sound. Then Erin turned and saw her giving her a thumb up and whooping with her. David shook his head but also let a small smile grace his lips.

They raced towards a cliff and suddenly Cass wasn't feeling very excited anymore, in fact she was scared as shit.

"Uh Paul?" She questioned in a small voice

"What's up girly?" He answered back, turning his ear towards her

"That's a cliff" she replied, pointing in that direction.

"Uh huh I know" he responded, seeming uncaring

"WELL don't go towards it then!" She shouted

"Relax, I go ya" he patted her hand, and sped up

"Got me how? Because that's a cliff. And cliffs mean a far drop. And that cliff particularly leads to water which is crashing against something pretty hard and I'm gonna assume those are rocks. And rocks at the bottom of a cliff where water is means we go splat and then poof we are dead." She deadpanned, blowing her fingers out in a kaboom motion.

He started laughing, and the bike wiggled. The cliff got closer. Right at the end he stopped, as did everyone else.

Paul was still laughing "hahaah poof!" He made the same kaboom motion and Cass just mumbled a 'fuck off' before flicking him in the forehead. The rest of them were staring at the others, Erin had small chuckles, and Dwayne had a small smirk, but Marko and David just stared. Marko leaned forwards on his handlebars and licked his lips, which immediately caused Cass' eyes to dart there, unconsciously wetting her own. His eyes also narrowed down to her lips, sucking in a breath and looking away, gritting his teeth. She didn't understand why he was being so weird, she hadn't done a single thing to him, besides be awkward as shit, but that was a natural occurrence for her.

"How about we take you ladies back? It's getting late." David looked to the sky and turned his bike around. They all agreed and made their journey back. Erin gave the directions to Dwayne who took the lead, with David pulling back to ride by Marko. They looked to be having a discussion, but she wasn't sure how they would be doing so on a motorbike. Once arriving back at their place, Cass hopped off and gave Paul's shoulder a squeeze, he gave her a genuine smile and patted her hand.

"Nice meeting you!" She called over shoulder, waving at them and mostly looking at Paul because the others didn't really seem to care if they never saw them again.

"You too girl! I'm sure we'll see you around soon!" Paul gave her a wave and shot off into the night, followed by Dwayne and David. Erin unlocked the door and Cass moved to follow before a soft "Cassandra" was called. The sound brought a flash of lightning down her spine and she closed her eyes for a second before turning to see Marko still sitting on his bike, looking like he wanted to bolt.

"What's up?" she asked, crossing to him in a few short steps.

He looked at her, and then averted his eyes. "You should stay away from Paul. He's dangerous." He said it in a such a tone that most people wouldn't have argued, but she wasn't most people and she wasn't one to be told what to do.

She scoffed, "oh opposed to you? To any of you?" she questioned, crossing her arms and fixing him with a cold stare. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, there was a raw emotion that Cass had never seen before. She wanted to help him, but she didn't know how.

"Yeah, we're all dangerous. You should probably stay away from all of us." He fixed his look into one of boredom and it pissed Cass off. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of seeing her hurt, not again.

So she shrugged and said "if that's what you want." She turned on her heel and was almost to the door when he replied.

"That's it?" he seethed, tightening his hands on the handles, causing his bike to let out a rumble. She sighed but barely turned around.

"What else would you like for me to say?" she asked

"I.. I don't know." He looked so cute when he was confused she thought but shook her head. No time for that right now.

"Then I can't help you!" She turned then and stomped into the house, slamming the door behind her. She could have sworn she heard him say "you could, but I won't let you." But that was absurd right? Marko would never say such a thing to her. She leaned her head back against the door, utterly drained from the day. She finally found her way to her room and collapsed on the bed, stripping down to her undergarments and snuggling into her cover.

 _She heard labored breathing before turning around, she noticed she was in a bed but it wasn't hers. She was in a white very see through tank top, and white panties. She saw a male figure sitting at the end of the bed, his back towards her. His skin was smooth and tanned, small white scars littering it. She moved to touch him running her hands along his back. The figure immediately turned around and gave her a smile._

" _Marko" she whispered, running her hands from his back up his arm and to his chest. He leaned in and gave her a sweet slow kiss. But she didn't want a sweet kiss. She wanted him. "Please" she whispered again. He groaned, but kissed her harder, delving his tongue into her mouth, causing Cass to let out a sigh of content. He swallowed her noises and pushed her hard into the bed, slotting his body against hers._

" _What do you want Cassandra?" he questioned, running his hands down her back, cupping her ass._

" _You" she mumbled, wrapping her fist into his hair. He kissed her hard again, pulling her panties to the side._

" _Are you sure you can handle it baby?" he questioned, expertly teasing her._

" _Yes god yes" she moaned, biting his lower lip and sucking it into her mouth._

" _As you wish" his fingers slid in and her back arched into him, she mumbled out his name and he swallowed her into another feverish kiss. She heard a noise but decided to ignore it. Moaning as his fingers worked faster inside of her. The noise sounded again, closer this time however. She put a hand onto his chest._

" _Marko stop" she whispered, and he immediately did._

" _What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Guilt flashing in his eyes._

" _No, I heard a noise." He looked around and stopped moving. Listening intently._

" _Probably just the wind, it's ok baby. I'll protect you, I promise." He kissed her again, and she kissed him back. But she wasn't worried about herself, she was worried about him, his fingers brushed against her again but then stopped abruptly. He choked and her eyes flew open, he was blinking rapidly and then he coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth and spraying on her._

 _She screamed._

Cass woke with a start. Holding a hand to her heart and letting out a cry of frustration. Great, so she was still having dreams about Marko's death, but now they involved sexual acts as well. She didn't know which was worse, and she hoped she didn't see him anytime soon because the thoughts running through her mind was enough to make her grandma roll in her grave. Cass knew she wouldn't be able to keep her composure around him and she wasn't a very good actor.

She wished they would stay away. But she knew that the old saying of 'wish in one hand, and shit in the other, see which fills up faster' was a true statement. And wishes rarely if ever came true.


	4. iv

_She wished they would stay away. But she knew that the old saying of 'wish in one hand, and shit in the other, see which fills up faster' was a true statement. And wishes rarely if ever came true._

…

It was around 3 PM that Cass woke up, thinking deeply about her dream. What did it mean? Sure, she knew she was attracted to the cute little devil, but she didn't think she was _that_ attracted to him. Not enough to have a wet dream about him. But God, thinking about his hands on her skin made her entire body heat up, and she almost wished she wouldn't have woken up, just to see where things would lead. But then she remembered his blood spraying onto her face, and the anguish in his eyes, and she was suddenly relieved that she had woken up when she did. She didn't care much to see him die, it left her feeling empty.

After that thought, Erin came running in, plopping down onto her bed and cuddling next to Cass.

"Hi" she whispered, laying her head on the other girls shoulder, letting out a small yawn.

"Hi" Cass whispered back, laying her head on Erin's and closing her eyes.

"We slept so late, I wanted to go to the beach" Erin murmured, ready to go back to bed if Cass asked her to. She thought about it, but decided vacation was not for sleeping, and she probably wouldn't be able to if she wanted to.

"Then let's go! Get up lazy bones!" She yelled, pushing Erin off of her. The younger girl rolled slightly, almost to the edge and gave Cass a hard glare.

"What if I would have fallen off the bed?" Erin asked

"I would have laughed my ass off" Cass answered honestly

"You're rude as shit and I don't know why I'm friends with you" Erin sniffed, making her way off of the bed.

"Because you love me, now get ready" and she shooed Erin out the door so she could get ready as well. She had a quick shower, just in case she wasn't able to come back to the house before night fell, and changed into her red bikini. She threw on a pair of denim shorts and a white tank and she was set.

She met Erin at the door and they both packed a beach bag, full of mostly unnecessary crap. They really only needed a towel and maybe a change of clothes, but alcohol probably wasn't needed. But they were on vacation and it was 5 o'clock somewhere.

They strolled down to the beach, laying out their towels and stripping down to their suits. She was thankful that this part of the beach was mostly empty. She briefly wondered why, but wasn't going to question it. The day seemed to pass by quickly and after drinking as many vodka orange juices as they had, she was surprised they were still awake. It's like Cass blinked and it was nearing nightfall.

"What do you say we just stay right here and drink the rest of this bottle?" Erin asked, shaking the contents of the bottle in front of Cass' face.

"Sounds great, I don't feel much for other human activity." Cass agreed, nodding her head.

Erin lifted the bottle to her lips and took a pull, passing it over to Cass who took a small gulp, washing the terrible taste down with orange juice.

"Ugh will never get used to that" Cass grimaced, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand. Erin had a similar expression and both girls immediately started laughing.

"What's so funny?" A voice behind them asked. Both girls let out a scream at the same time, Erin jumped up and looked like she was ready to get the hell out of dodge before kind of just dropping to the ground.

And Cass? Well Cass didn't have very good reflexes and pulled both hands up to cover her face, peeking between her fingers.

"Is that really what you do when you get scared?" She looked up and noticed Paul giving her a raised eyebrow while the others just gave her a smirk.

"Ya know it is considered impolite to sneak up on people that way." Cass grumbled, crossing her arms. Then started hysterically laughing because Erin was still on the ground giving them a glare.

"I totally second that. Ya'll are assholes!" Erin accused, getting up and dusting the sand from her body off.

It was then that she realized they were both still in their swimsuits, and both pretty hammered. She gave Marko a peek and realized that he was already looking at her, well not at her face, but his eyes were roaming down her almost naked body. A hungry look in his eyes that had Cass squirming under his gaze. The movement made his eyes snap up to meet hers, the hungry look intensifying. She so wished they were alone, and then the dream came flooding back. And all of a sudden she was embarrassed, her cheeks igniting. He cocked his head at her, giving her one of his famous 'I know something you don't' smiles.

"Damn Cass didn't know you had a body like that under your leather jacket!" Paul laughed, plopping down beside her and grabbing the bottle of alcohol. She blushed again, damn these boys. Marko let out an inhuman growl from deep within his chest and Cass' head whipped around to give him a wide eyed stare. He wasn't looking at her this time, but at Paul. Who was extremely close to her, his thigh brushing hers. Paul didn't seem notice Marko's look, that or he didn't care. Within seconds Marko's jacket came flying from his hands, the article of clothing landing on her head, before dropping down onto her lap. She gave him a look of confusion.

"Put that on please" his teeth were clenched together so tightly that she was afraid they would break. She looked at the jacket, to him, the jacket, then to the bottle of alcohol. Who the hell was he to tell her what to do? She grabbed the bottle before speaking,

"I had a father once, and a brother, and you are neither. Do not think you can tell me what to do." She told him darkly before taking a sip and flinging the jacket back at him. It hit his chest, before falling to the ground. Everyone laughed, excluding Marko. And she felt a little bad, but like hell was he going to waltz in here and try to give her orders.

"Hell yeah girl, you tell him!" Paul winked and threw his arm over her shoulders, pulling her in closer. Again, Marko's eyes narrowed into slits, his eyes glaring at Paul's arm.

"So how about we play a little game?" Erin slurred, throwing a wink at Cass who merely rolled her eyes in response.

"What have you got in mind shortie?" Dwayne replied, going to sit next to her on the ground. Erin looked elated, before his words sunk in.

"Hey! I'm not that short! You're just tall!" She accused, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Nope, pretty sure you're just really short!" Dwayne nodded his head, Paul let out a laugh.

"Not true! You're just a tree trunk!" She said matter of factly, sticking her tongue out at him. This caused him to laugh, caused all of them to laugh, even Marko, but not David.

"Enough. What did you have in mind, Erin?" David questioned, they all sobered up and looked at him.

"How about truth or dare?" Erin asked, giving him a smile. Cass groaned. This would _not_ work out in their favor. There were 2 girls and 4 boys, a severe disadvantage.

"Sure thing who wants to go first?" David asked, joining the 4 of the of the ground, he turned to Marko who was still standing, still glaring at Paul's arm.

"Marko sit." and Marko sat. Though he wasn't too happy about it.

"I will!" Paul volunteered, raising his hand. Oh brother, here we go.

"Ok who do you dare?" Erin questioned, cocking her head.

"Dwayne!" Paul pointed at the silent man. Dwayne looked taken aback, like he was honestly shocked someone had picked him. "Truth or dare?" Paul asked.

"Dare." Dwayne mumbled without a second thought. Cass figured that.

"Ok… hmm.. I dare you to… to… to start clucking like a chicken, and make the chicken movement too!" Paul laughed, just the picture was funny. Cass wanted to laugh to, but only because of the look Dwayne was giving Paul. If looks could kill, Paul would be as dead as Julius Caesar.

Dwayne sighed, but nonetheless got up, bocked once and stuck his hands under his armpits, flapping them like little wings. The sight might have been the funniest thing to Cass, and to the others who were laughing uncontrollably. Paul had almost slumped over into her lap, wiping his eyes.

"I hate you all!" Dwayne seethed, taking a seat next to Erin again.

"Oh man, that was the greatest thing I will ever accomplish!" Paul exclaimed, sitting up straight.

"You're an embarrassment to this world Paul." Dwayne growled, fixing the blonde with a cold stare.

"Nah man that's all you! Who do you dare?" Paul questioned, keeping the smile on his face. Dwayne looked at all of them before his eyes settled on Erin. Thank God.

"Erin, truth or dare?" he questioned the girl.

"Hmm, I'll go with truth!" Erin nodded.

"Shit. Wasn't expecting that uhhh….is it true you like peanut butter?" Dwayne asked, scratching his head. Cass let out a snort of laughter, the alcohol she had just taken a drink out of almost coming out of her nose.

Erin simply gave Cass a withering look before looking back at Dwayne, "no that is not true. I hate peanut butter. Always have, always will!" She rubbed her hands together before clapping.

"Cass truth or dare?" Erin questioned, giving her a smirk. That little...what happened to sisters stand together and all that shit.

"Dare I guess" Cass shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"I dare you to makeout with Paul! Tongue and all!" Erin exclaimed, looking smug.

Wha..? But..? She was going to kill Erin.

"What?" Marko yelled, voicing Cass' thoughts, seeming like he wanted to jump up.

"What's wrong Marko?" David questioned, lighting a cigarette. He seemed to enjoy the younger boy's obvious discomfort.

"Nothing, I just didn't think we were going to be giving such shitty dares. That's all. Kind of trashy too." Marko shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

Oh trashy huh? She would give him trashy, her drunk mind wasn't the smartest but damn did it not back down.

She grabbed Paul by the back of the neck and pulled his lips to meet her own. His lips smashed onto hers and his hand gripped her neck as well, pulling her into him. His tongue pried open her lips and delved into her mouth, exploring and never stopping. She let out the faintest moan before she was ripped off of Paul. She was in the air, and then back on the ground behind Marko. His whole body was vibrating, his arm muscles coiled under her hand.

"Do not touch her!" Marko screamed, his body fully in front of hers now.

Erin screamed, and struggled to stand, backing up from Marko. The rest of them were shooting daggers at Marko.

"Oh my god what the fuck? What are you? Your eyes are yellow!" She pointed at him, a horrified expression crossing her face. Cass immediately let him go, backing up. He immediately turned to her, and Erin was right, his eyes were yellow. And he was pissed. Then she remembered one of her first dreams. His eyes were yellow then too, and he stared at her as he ripped into someone's throat with his, before he was impaled by a wooden object. Cass screamed, and then her eyes rolled back. She fell, but just before her body hit the sand, his arms wrapped around her.

He whispered into her hair "I got you" and then Cass felt like she floating, and then she didn't feel, see, or hear anything at all.


	5. v

_When Cass opened her eyes, she realized she was in a cave. It was pitch black so she couldn't see anything. She gingerly sat up and began to feel her way around, she finally found an opening and then began to go towards a flickering light, she figured there was a fire, if not multiple fires causing the light. Once she made it, 4 figures were strewn about, all with their backs to her. It wasn't until the figure in the furthest corner turned to look at her, that she knew it was Marko. She was terrified, for the first time she was scared OF him, not for him. Because this time, he had blood painted on his face and it was dripping down onto his chest. It could have ended there but he was holding an arm, and he decided that was the proper way to greet her, by using the arm to wave at her._

" _Hello Cassandra. You're next baby!" He laughed and the others joined him, all turning around with a corpse in their hands, all giving her a devilish smile. She began backing up but they all immediately stood up and ran at her._

 _She screamed._

This time when Cass woke up, she was actually screaming. She felt a body next to her tense, and Cass with quicker reflexes that she thought she had, pushed the body away from her. It rolled and hit the ground with a thud. A groan followed.

"What the shit Cass? You scare me half to death and then you break my entire body? Why the fuck is the floor so hard?" Erin groaned, but Cass wasn't paying attention because she only just realized her surroundings. And much like her scream being real, she was definitely in a cave as well. Though it had much more light.

"Erin where are we?" Cass whispered

"God. I don't know, after your boyfriend pulled some shit and turned all monstrous on us, you passed out. Like eyes rolling to the back of your head passed out. And then he was carrying you, and then he leaped into the air and then he was _flying_ with you. I think that's when I passed out." Erin shrugged and came back to sit on the bed with her. They were both wearing large t-shirts over their swimsuits.

"Marko carried me?" Cass could only question the things that were easier to say aloud.

"Yeah he did. He looked pretty worried to." Erin nodded, laying her head on the other girls shoulder.

"He isn't my boyfriend Erin." Cass whispered

"Not yet" Erin whispered back, and the thought sent a warm feeling through her body, but it also made her blood run cold.

"Erin I had another dream last night" Cass admitted

"Well I figured since you woke up screaming and what not."

"I was so scared in this one, I've had a one similar to it, but not quite like this one." Cass was certain she was shaking, she couldn't get the images out of her brain. The blood, the arm, her fear.

"What happened?" Erin sat up and looked at her.

"Well in my first dream like this. Marko was tearing into someones neck. With his teeth, and he was staring at me. But he looked sad that I had to witness what he was doing. But then he died as he was doing it, and I was more scared because he dying, not because he was killing someone." Cass finished, feeling better now that she got the words out into the open.

"With his teeth" Erin mumbled, holding her head.

"With his teeth" Cass confirmed

"So what about last night?" Erin asked, turning to look at her.

Cass shuddered, but tried to remain strong. "Last night. They were holding dead bodies. But this time Marko waved an arm at me, not his arm, and not one attached to a body. And then he said I was next, and they all ran at me. Then I woke up." Cass shivered, mostly because of the dream, but also because of how cold it was.

"Yeah we should definitely leave!" Erin nodded, more scared than she ever had been in her entire life.

"Agreed!" They both got up and looked around for any sight of their stuff. They found it in the corner and both pulled on some shorts. Erin went out first, Cass right behind her with her hand in hers. They finally made their way to the entrance and looked out. The day was basically over.

"We need to hurry!" Cass pulled ahead of Erin, pulling the blonde along hurriedly.

"What's the rush ladies?" she heard David before she saw him. In fact she didn't know where his voice was coming from at all.

"Yeah. You can't leave yet. We have much to discuss." Another voice, she thought was Dwayne's.

"Why not? I want to go home and shower" Cass said simply, pulling Erin closer to her. They were moving in circles, trying to find where the voices were coming from. She figured they were somewhere still in the cave, so she took her chance, and pulled Erin to the entrance. Stopping short when Paul was standing there, giving her a light smile. It was meant to comfort her, but it wouldn't, not anymore. Not now that she knew what he was, what they all were.

"And what are we Cassandra?" The voice, mixed with her name rolling off of his tongue made her entire body sing. Her eyes closed and she shuddered, before she realized what he had asked her.

"What?" She questioned, whirling to face Marko.

"What are we? You said you knew what we were?" He smirked at her, coming out from behind the shadows.

"I didn't say that" she argued, pulling Erin even closer.

"No, but you thought it" David answered for her. Both her and Erin froze, Erin letting out a whimper and Cass? Well Cass was fucking pissed.

"Oh so along with feeding on people, being a huge jerk, having longer hair than I do, you can also read minds? Perfect. We're leaving. And we aren't going to be bothered by any of you again, because _neither_ of us want to see or speak to you again." Cass seethed, giving her best glare at all of them. Paul looked hurt, and Marko had a mixture of pain but also there was anger that flashed across his face, Dwayne for the most part held a stoic expression, but there was panic that flashed across his eyes. And David? He just looked thoughtful.

"Well if you never want to see us again, I'm afraid that will have to be done so by your deaths." David laughed, his laugh cold and menacing.

"David!" That was Dwayne

"No way man!" That was Paul. Marko said nothing.

"It's really up to Marko. She is his, afterall." David responded, going to sit on a wheelchair. Why was there a wheelchair down here? And why was he sitting on it like he was royalty.

"Cassandra come talk to me" Marko held out his hand, indicating for Cass to follow him.

"No. Hell no. You're a murderer, and I'm not leaving Erin here by herself." Cass yelled.

"I will keep her safe" Dwayne stepped up to them and rested his hand on Erin's shoulder. For the most part, Erin remained calm, but the squeeze that Cass got was indication enough to know that Erin was petrified.

"Like hell" Cass spit

"ENOUGH!" David roared, scaring the 2 girls, but also startling the guys. "Go with Marko now, Cassandra!"

She closed her eyes, but nodded anyways. She gave Erin's hand a squeeze and whispered 'love you' before putting her hand into Marko's and following him down a narrow hallway leading further into the cave. She followed him for awhile, not knowing what to say, but she figured he could hear her thoughts anyways. And that thought had every thought racing through her mind. All of her embarrassing thoughts about him, all of her dreams, then her sexual dream came to mind and she was wishing it away trying to think of literally anything else. She heard Marko chucking, but she ignored it. So she thought of Legolas from the Lord of the Rings. He was an excuse to be aroused right?

It was that moment that he pushed her into a wall, the feeling made her gasp. The cold wall mixed with its roughness had Cass arching her back into him.

"Why are you thinking about fictional men?" Marko asked darkly, pinning her with both his body and his eyes.

"Well because he's hot, in theory. As hot as a man from a book could get" Cass shrugged, desperately trying to think of the fictional man and not the one here in front of her.

"And I'm not?" he snarled, pinning her arms above her head

"No" she lied

"Liar" he called her out. Fixing her with a smirk

"Fine yeah. But I don't see you that way" she sniffed, turning her head away from his intense gaze

"Liar. Baby, I can see your thoughts about me. I can see your dreams, and you lost that fight before you even knew we were playing." he smirked at her again and ran his lips down the side of her cheek, down her jaw, until he nuzzled into her neck, giving it a gentle kiss. Her whole body stiffened, both from fear and anticipation. He backed off of her then, letting her arms go. She let out a small whine but covered it with a scoff.

"Seems like you're the one losing" she sassed

"We'll see" he answered simply, leading her even further into the cave. She heard the sound of running water before they stepped into a large cavern, steam rolling off the water. She raised an eyebrow at him and all he did was shrug back before stating,

"You said you needed a shower" he pointed towards the side where an abundance of soap and other products were laying. She wouldn't admit it, but she hadn't thought how they showered, but then again, they had to of or no one would come near them, because of their odor, but also the blood that was bound to stick to them.

Marko sighed and she glanced at him. He looked annoyed but said nothing to her. Then she thought of him showering and he finally looked smug. She wasn't going to get used to him reading her thoughts.

"Turn around" she spoke, about to lift the t-shirt over her head.

"Are you serious?" he guffawed, obviously not expecting her to turn down the option of giving him a strip show.

"Deadly. Turn. Now." she answered. He rolled his eyes but did turn around. She stripped quickly before leaping quickly into the water before he decided to turn around. He immediately turned around and watched her with a dark look. His eyes following every movement she made as she floated in the water.

"Cassandra" his voice strained, her eyes snapped to meet his. Ha who was losing? She thought, and then in an instant he was gone.

"What the?" she flailed in the water and turned in all directions, searching for him. He wouldn't leave her down here by herself right? She thought she saw movement by the entryway and focused on that, before his voice came from behind her.

"Still you Cassandra." She turned and he was standing there, naked except for his boxers. She watched him, and he watched her. She blinked and he was gone again, she groaned and turned before a splash was heard from behind her. She turned but she didn't see him. She froze and decided to make her way to the edge, right before she got there a hand grabbed her ankle and yanked her down. She went under and then she bobbed back up, sputtering incoherently and spitting water out of her mouth.

"You little shit!" She seethed, whirling to try and find him.

"Boo!" He shouted next to her, locking his arm around her waist and drawing her in towards his body. She stiffened, feeling his ab muscles contract against her back, his member lightly grazing her butt. Unconsciously she stuck her ass out further towards him and he gave her a groan. It was the sxiest sound she had every heard. Her head fell back against his shoulder and he used his other hand to swipe the hair that was stuck to her shoulder away. His lips met her neck and she whimpered, not sure if he could control himself.

"Relax. I won't hurt you" he whispered into her neck, drawing small circles with his tongue onto her neck. She let out a quiet moan and threaded her fingers into his hair, the action drew a groan from the boy behind her and his arm tightened around her. His lips began kissing every inch of skin on her neck that he could reach, his fingers rubbing small circles on her hip bone. And Cass was lost, lost in absolute bliss. Her dreams didn't do him justice, not in the slightest.

"Tell me about your dream, baby" he groaned, using his teeth to pull on the soft shell of her ear.

"Wha.. What?" her voice scratchy

"What did I do to you in your dream?" he asked, now using his tongue on her ear, his fingers now dragging up and down her stomach lazily. If this wasn't the hottest thing in the world, she didn't know what was.

"You.. You kissed me" she stuttered, not sure how to voice her thoughts. She had always been relatively shy.

"Mmm. What else?" he hummed into her ear. "Did I use my fingers? Or my mouth?" he questioned, he knew but he wanted her to say it. God, she knew what her dream was, but she didn't know which one she wanted more. Anything would have sufficed at the moment. He let out a growl and turned her around abruptly to face him, he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist.

"You're so needy. What am I going to do with you, Cassandra?" He purred, his fingers gripping her hips. She didn't know what came over her, because she was lost in lust. She thought about answering with 'everything' but that would have been too easy, and she couldn't have that.

"I think you're all talk. So probably, I don't know. Nothing?" she answered, finishing with a smirk. He chuckled, but it wasn't a real laugh, it was one of promises.

"Then maybe I should just leave you to it then?" He asked, his grip on her loosening,

"No!" She shouted, tightening her legs around his waist, and she knew that he had won.

"Don't forget that baby. I always will win." He laughed and then covered her mouth with his own. Unlike Paul, he swiped his tongue against her lips, asking for entrance. Before he pulled away abruptly.

"Do not think about him. Understand? I can barely get past the thought of you kissing him last night." He growled, using his hand to grip her hair and make her eyes meet his own. She nodded and whispered yes before his lips were back on hers and he was gripping her ass and she was gasping and his tongue was sliding into her mouth. He wrapped it around hers, massaging it before it left and explored the rest of her mouth. She was letting out the most filthy moans and he was swallowing them like his favorite type of blood. It was then that he let his fingers trail down, running along her things and her lower stomach, which clinched in anticipation. She broke away for a breath and watched him, his lips were almost swollen and his eyes were hooded, obviously enjoying this just as much as she was.

He looked down and she realized her whole upper half was out of the water, only half of her stomach and legs remained in the water. He met her eyes again before lowering his mouth down to one breast, he kept eye contact with her as his tongue flicked out to tease her nipple. Her head fell back and she let out a soft oh my god. His finger circled around where she needed him the most and she found herself bucking into him, trying to find some type of friction. He chuckled then and moved his mouth over to the other breath. His fingers then began to circle around her clit, the touch both welcome and electrifying. Her back arched into him and he used one finger to tease her opening. She wanted to scream at him because the slowness was slowly driving her insane, but he kept teasing her opening, and her clit until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Marko please" she whimpered, her eyes meeting his once again. He smirked at her as if that was what he was waiting for all along. His middle finger slid into her opening and her head fell back again. He watched her with an awed expression and it made all of this so much more intense. He added a second finger in and began to pick up the pace. Her moans were getting louder and neither of them cared.

"Look at me Cassandra!" he demanded, "I'll stop if you don't look at me" he answered honestly, his fingers beginning to slow inside of her. She immediately looked at him and held his gaze, for awhile. Her eyes snapped shut again and this began making harsh circles on her clit and then she was nearing her end.

"Mmm but feels so fucking good" she moaned, lifting her hips to make his fingers go a little deeper. He groaned at the sight but stopped his fingers.

"What the fuck?" she questioned, her eyes popping open to give him a glare.

"I told you to look at me. I want you to watch me as I get you off. I want you to see who is making you feel this way. Who will ONLY make you feel this way. Got it?" He licked his lips and spread his fingers in a scissor motion, making Cass forget she had to reply. But she held his gaze nonetheless, her orgasm building quickly again and he started moving his fingers quickly inside of her, scissoring them occasionally. Her whole body was on fire and tingled, she screamed his name as she came around his fingers. She clenched around his fingers and he pulled her into him to claim her mouth with his own.

"Marko" she whispered, pulling her arms around him. He gave a quiet huff of laughter before bringing her to the edge where the soap was.

"Was it ok?" he asked, looking away from her. Obviously scared of her answer.

"It was better than ok.. I.. I've never." she stopped short, incredibly embarrassed. His head whirled around to look at her. His eyes wide.

"What? You're never had sex?" He moved to back away as if she was some inhuman thing, which was ironic because that was him.

"Of course I've had sex. I've just never gotten off before" she shrugged, red painting her cheeks. He sat there a moment, flabbergasted.

"But you had a boyfriend?" he said stupidly. She snorted, her voice turning serious.

"Yeah a boyfriend who forced me into having sex with him. He didn't care about me, he just chased his own release and that was that." She looked away from him then and grabbed the soap, dunking it into the water and rubbing it along her body. She heard him gulp, but he stuck on their conversation.

"He.. he hurt you?" he questioned in a small voice.

"In every way you could hurt a person, yes." she answered honestly

"I'll kill him" he spoke sincerely, but she didn't care.

"No you won't. I want to never see or hear about him again ok?" she asked, finally looking at him with a serious expression.

"Ok. So I was the first person to get you off?" he questioned, his ego going through the roof.

"God you're such a peacock, but yes, you are the first." she rolled her eyes at him, and he was immediately behind her, holding his hand to her throat.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" he asked, his nose making a trail down her throat.

"Yes what are you going to do about it?" she laughed, setting the soap back on the ledge.

"How about I show you?" he teased, sucking a bruise into her neck, making her wet all over again. Her arousal hung thick in the air and he began grinding into her.

"Marko!" A voice yelled from the entryway. She jumped and went to turn towards the voice before Marko forced her in the opposite direction. Not allowing David to see her body.

"What?" he answered, obviously annoyed at the interruption.

"Hurry up. We need to talk. And relax I don't want to see her naked, even though I already have because of your thoughts. Please remember to shut them off next time. God I am scarred" David grumbled, his footsteps echoing out of the chasm.

She let out a giggle, before it turned into full blown laugher and then Marko was laughing with her.

"That was close" he murmured, turning her around to give her a light kiss.

"You gonna be ok?" she questioned

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" he asked, genuinely confused. She brushed her hand over his still hard dick and he sucked in a breath.

"Oh. Yeah, I'll be ok. Just promise to take care of it later?" he winked, lifting himself out of the water. The water clung to him in such a way that it made Cass lose her breath, and his body wasn't something even her dreams could do justice.

"Cassandra please control yourself. I can smell your arousal and I know everyone else can too." Marko closed his eyes tightly before helping her out of the water.

"Sorry" she mumbled

"Don't be. Just, just be careful with it. Because most of us are unpredictable and I don't want to fight anyone tonight ok?" he asked, she nodded and began getting dressed. She pulled out her tank top but Marko grabbed it from her hands, she shot him a questioning look before he nodded at the shirt she wore the night before.

"Wear that one"

"Why?" she asked

"Because it's mine and it looks good on you" he answered simply. She shrugged and put it on, following him out of the room and down towards the main room.

"Hey Cass! Have a good time?" Paul laughed, smoking a joint. Her cheeks flamed and she hid behind Marko who gave a dark glance to Paul.

"Knock it off!" he seethed at the younger blonde.

"Hey just a question, we all heard her. And most of us saw. Girl you look better than you did last night" Paul gave her a wink and she was even more embarrassed. In one instant Marko was standing in front of her, and the next he had Paul pinned to the couch with his hand wrapped around his throat.

"Don't speak about her. Don't think about her!" he yelled, his eyes turning a feral yellow.

"Marko! Stand down. Paul, knock it off!" David shouted, standing from his chair. Marko gave one last glance to Paul before standing and coming to stand by Cass, he wrapped an arm around her and pressed his lips to her temple.

"Are we quite ready? Because I'm starving. Can you guys control yourselves for that long?" David gave each of them a glare and stomped out of the cave.

"Eat?" Cass squeaked, looking at Erin who was giving her much the same terrified look.

"Relax. We'll take you guys to the boardwalk, we'll find our meals and then meet you back on the boardwalk. Ok?" Marko pressed another kiss to her temple and began to drag her outside.

Cass didn't think she liked his answer. He spoke so casually about a meal, like one would say 'hey its raining', and it scared her immensely.


	6. vi

As promised, the boys dropped them off at the boardwalk, leaving their bikes at a stand and then they were gone, molding into the crowd. Cass watched them leave, a brief look of panic crossing over her face, before a nervous smile took its place.

"Spill!" Erin squeaked, dragging Cass off towards a more secluded part of the place. This wasn't something she had prepared for, she was never good with giving details.

"We just messed around, that's all." Cass shrugged, trying to play it cool.

"Mmmhm, was it big?" Erin asked, a sly smirk crossing her face

"WHAT!" Cass yelled, her eyes opening wide and both anger and disbelief crossing her face. Erin started laughing and blubbering,

"Hahah… your face! … the look.. The horror..!" Erin was beginning to annoy her. Cass gave her an eye roll and crossed her arms.

"You didn't see it? Did you?" Erin asked, placing her hand on Cass' shoulder.

"No." Cass grumbled, not even realizing she was upset about that fact in the first place.

"There is plenty of time! And he's obviously very into you, and very uh, protective as well." Erin gave her a brief smile.

"Well that's an understatement." Cass mumbled, feeling her mood perk up from just the thought of him being so protective.

"Food?" Erin questioned, nodding to a hot dog stand

"God yes. I've never been so hungry in my life." So they started off towards the stand, each ordering 2 hotdogs. Erin applied mustard, ketchup, and relish (something that disgusted Cass to her core) while Cass just added ketchup.

As the 2 happily munched on their meals then lapsed into silence. Each lost in their own thoughts, staring out to the ocean.

"What do you say we go and try to find our troublesome boys?" Erin asked, licking her fingers free of mustard. Cass wasn't sure if she wanted to find them, mostly because she didn't know what else she would find. But Erin was demanding and usually got what she wanted. So they threw their remains into the trash can nearby and wandered onto the beach. They must have walked for 2 miles, seeing no sign of the boys. It wasn't until they got to a particular secluded spot that fear began to ice its way up into Cass' veins.

"Erin" Cass whispered

"What?" Erin whispered back, Cass knew Erin was just as scared

"What do you think we will find?" Cass wondered

"I don't want to guess. Could be worse than we imagined, or it could be nothing bad at all" Erin said confidently, raising her lips in a smile that was supposed to comfort chance. But no, it had no such effect. They had finally reached a place where no one was, and was about to turn back when they heard the faintest groan. It halted them in their retreat. They each looked at each other before slowly creeping forward. They made their way up a sand dune as quickly and quietly as they could, collapsing on the top to look over. What they saw, left Cass heartbroken.

Each of the boys had their particular flavor of the night, and each was obviously enjoying it. Cass didn't care about the other boys though, her gaze was focused solely on Marko, and the fact that he had a girls legs over his shoulders as he rocked deeply into her. It made Cass feel like crying, and screaming. But she did neither, she just watched. And Erin did the same from next to her, trying not to let the gasp and whimper escape. She was upset that Dwayne had found someone as well, but his sexual actions were not the only thing on her mind. Because all around the fire were bodies of boys she assumed were partying with the girls each of the guys had. The only sounds to be heard was the crackling of the fire, the moans from the girls, and an almost inaudible groan from one of the guys.

They watched for another minute or so, before each of them decided they had their fun, ending the lives of the girls all around. Then threw all of the bodies into the fire, like they were nothing. Each of them got dressed before Paul spoke,

"So you like Cassandra, huh Marko?" Paul joked, nudging the shorter blonde with his elbow. Marko shook his head

"Shut up man" Marko replied, doing up his belt.

"What I'm just saying, she obviously likes you!" Paul said

"I know. What girl doesn't?" Marko shrugged, and Cass wanted to vomit.

"That's your mate" David said, sending a glare to the younger boy.

"You don't know that. And even if, who cares? I don't do mates, or girlfriends, or anything of the sort" Marko waved him off, and Cass really wanted to get sick.

"So you don't like her then?" Paul questioned, confused

"Nah. Not really. She's just someone fun to play with" Marko shrugged again, and Cass had never hated anyone more.

Erin grabbed her friends shoulder hard, then began pulling her away from the scene. Cass said nothing, just followed blindly. Once Erin thought they were far enough way, she finally spoke.

"Cass I'm so sorry, he's such an asshole." Erin ranted, giving the other girl a sympathetic smile. Cass only nodded numbly, not feeling like saying very much.

"Let's just go back to the house and do some girly things ok?" Erin questioned, again Cass only nodded. Erin decided to pick up the pace just in case they ended their weird acts soon, Cass stumbling to keep up but not losing her balance completely. They had gotten to the house quicker than they had found the boys, and once in Erin locked up all the doors, and even went around to all of the windows for good measure. She then turned off most of the light, leaving only certain ones on so they weren't in complete darkness.

"Cass I have a feeling they are going to come looking for us. So I think we should just chill in my room since it's on the furthest part of the house. Ok?" Erin asked, already leading the girl up the stairs.

"Sure" Cass finally found the energy to speak and began to walk more on her own. Why did it hurt so bad? She hadn't even really known him. But she just felt this deep sense of connection with him, and maybe because he was just so different compared to her ex. But the words he said, felt every bit of the pain that he exes had.

"Are you ok?" Erin asked as they got into her room and settled onto the bed. Cass didn't answer for awhile, just picked at the threads on her comforter. Erin wanted to yell at her for doing so but didn't think the moment was right for it.

"I don't know. I'm hurt, but I don't know why." Cass furrowed her eyebrows "maybe because he was so different than anyone I've ever known" Cass mused aloud darkly. It was then that she looked down and realized she was still wearing his shirt. She almost gagged at the thought and immediately stood up, causing Erin to let out a small shriek of surprise.

"I need to change. I want this off. Now!" Cass cried, whipping the t-shirt off of her head and throwing it into the corner.

"Alright. Let's find you a new shirt, no lights though." Erin warned, leading the girl to her room. The hallway light let just enough light to filter into her room that Cass immediately found her suitcase and a shirt. She was lifting it over head when there was a pounding on the door. Both girls jumped and Cass dropped the shirt onto the floor. Neither girl moved, Cass didn't even think either of them breathed.

"Cassandra?" A voice called "Erin? You guys in there?" another knocking sound came. Erin and Cass exchanged a look before Erin pointed at the shirt. Cass scooped it up and threw it on, both girls tiptoeing out into the hallway, a board creaking under the weight. Both froze and the knocking ceased.

"Shit" Cass swore, pushing Erin to the bedroom, and her following immediately after. Only neither of them were quite graceful because the minute Erin's foot touched the carpet, she tripped over a throw pillow, causing the girl to stumble. And since Cass was coming in hot behind her, ending up tripping over Erin. The two falling ungracefully onto the floor and getting tangled together.

"I told you not to throw the damn pillows on the floor. There's a cabinet for them!" Cass seethed

"Sorry" Erin mumbled, but neither girl spoke because it was deathly quiet downstairs.

"I know you guys are in there!" a voice abruptly said making both girls tense. But neither of them were ready to admit that they were in fact home.

"Yeah! We heard you klutzes fall, or drop something!" That was Paul, most definitely Paul. Cass almost laughed aloud but thought better of it.

"Erin?" A voice questioned, a fist banging on the window to the right of them. Cass had met her quota of scares for the day, and Erin was in the same boat because they both screamed and then each slapped a hand to the others mouth giving each other wide eyed looks.

"We blew it!" Cass whispered, then she heard a sigh and a soft knock again. Cass pleaded with Erin with her eyes and the girl nodded, mouthing to stay here.

"Meet you downstairs!" Erin called, she gave Cass one last smile and Cass told her to be careful before Erin ran down the stairs. Cass silently sat near the door where she could hear the whole conversation. Erin took a few deep breaths before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

"Hi boys! What can I do for you on this lovely evening?" Erin questioned, keeping her tone light. Cass face palmed and felt like screaming at Erin. It was quiet for a few beats and then,

"Where is Cassandra?" His voice almost made her cry, she wanted to say right here! But she couldn't, she wouldn't.

"Oh! Uh, she is feeling really sick so she's laying down!" Erin answered, it was believable for the most part.

"What? Let me in so I can make sure she's ok!" Marko pleaded

"No!" Erin yelled, "I mean, she just ate a bad hot dog and just needs her rest, that's all. She'll feel better tomorrow!" She assured, it was quiet for a few moments.

"Well tell her I hope she feels better! Bad hot dogs suck, I would know. I swear they only throw those things in the fryer for a minute!" Paul said, and she immediately felt bad for lying to him. But then she remembered the dead bodies, and the blood, and the girls, who were probably only ashes by now.

"She won't tell her you said that" David remarked, what?

"What why not?" Paul questioned, voicing her thoughts.

"Because she's lying, Cassandra is fine. She's just avoiding us." David's voice held anger, but also a small bit of confusion.

"How can you be sure?" Marko asked, sounding every bit of confused she knew he looked.

"I agree with David" Dwayne chimed in, well fuck you too Dwayne.

"But why would she be avoiding us?" Paul sounded hurt and Cass closed her eyes.

"I don't know. Erin why would Cassandra be avoiding us?" David questioned

"Uhhh" Erin said dumbly

"Erin" Dwayne said, his voice firm but soothing.

Ah hell. They were losing this fight, Cass may as well pull up her big girl panties and take the heat. She gathered her thoughts and much like Erin had earlier she took a few deep breaths before descending the stairs. They all looked at her, and she was surprised to see mostly hurt and confusion in most of their eyes.

"Cass?" Marko whispered, and she realized it was the first time he had called her by the nickname, she also realized she didn't like it as much as her full name, not from him anyways.

"So you aren't sick?" Paul questioned

"No I'm not" Cass answered honestly.

"Then what's wrong?" Marko huffed, anger returning to his eyes, his stance one of an angry child. And it pissed Cass off to no end.

"Don't you dare come here angry!" Cass yelled, pointing her finger at Marko. For his part, he did look a little scared by the way his eyes widened, and definitely wasn't expecting her to yell at him. Erin backed up and gave her an encouraging smile.

"What the hell did I do?" he yelled back, mad at this stupid fight, and he didn't even know what they were fighting about.

"Don't play the victim, _Marko,_ it doesn't suit you" she sneered, the pure venom that was laced with his name would have even the strongest of men cowering, but not Marko, no he was getting angrier. The other boys just watched, not really sure how to end the fight, and also confused on the fight itself.

"How was it? Think you were the first person she ever got off to, too?" Cass seethed, her eyes narrowing and her breaths coming out ragged. They all froze, and they all knew they had been caught. Paul looked sheepish and looked a little disgusted, which she was thankful for. Dwayne's eyes darted to Erin, who wouldn't look at him, no matter how hard he willed her to. And David didn't care, per usual. But she was the happiest about David, because he never claimed or acted any other way, and she respected that.

"I… how?" Marko tried to form a coherent sentence.

"Does it matter?" Cass asked, now feeling incredibly tired.

"Yes. Of course it matters!" Marko yelled, pulling at his hair.

"It doesn't. None of this does. You guys should go" her voice lacked emotion and Marko immediately wished she would go back to screaming at him, anything was better than this.

"Yes it does. It matters to me. Talk to me!" Marko pleaded

"I saw… we saw." Erin piped up, staring at Cass. Cass only nodded

"I didn't mean.. It didn't mean anything" Marko cried, willing her to believe him. But she barely knew him, so why would she trust him?

"Look. It's fine, we barely knew each other. And you live here and I don't it was bound to end anyways wasn't it? You can go back to your life, and I'll go back to mine! It's fine!" Cass finished with a nod, giving him a weak smile. Erin frowned at the girl and wanted to shake her, what was she doing? She knew that Cass liked him, why wouldn't she try?

"No. You don't mean that. You're just hurt. I'll make this up to you Cassandra, I promise. There's a reason you feel this so deeply, there is a reason you feel so connected to me, we're meant to be together baby." Marko said quietly, and Cass felt her anger flare up again.

"Why because we're 'mates'?" Cass laughed but it lacked humor, and Marko knew that he had fucked up. "I don't care what we are, or what we could have been. All I know is that I want you to leave, and I don't want to talk to you again. I dealt with enough wishy-washy shit from my ex to deal with it from you to!" Cass waved at them and turned on her heel, almost to the stairs when he replied.

"So you're punishing me for your exes bad behavior? I'm not him, Cassandra!" Marko yelled, wanting to run into the house and shake the girl, and hold her until she believed him.

"I'm not punishing you, Marko. I'm doing what's best for me. And funny you say that, because you're acting just like him." She replied blankly, "goodbye" she added before making her way up the stairs.

"Cassandra, please wait! Please!" Marko pleaded,

"Yeah he didn't mean it! He likes you!" Paul piped in, trying and failing to get the girl to turn around.

"Yes he did. And if he didn't, it's even worse that he lied to you guys and said it in the first place" she replied, rounding the corner and going into the bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Here she could cry alone, here she didn't have to be as strong.

"I'm sorry guys, but you need to leave" Erin said, and Cass felt bad because she knew Erin liked Dwayne.

"Will we get to see either of you again? Do you hate us too?" Paul questioned

"Neither of us hate you. And I'm sure you'll see us both around." Erin answered

"Please tell Cassandra I'm sorry" Marko asked, and his voice lacked emotion.

"I will. See ya guys." Erin closed the door and locked it, before running up the stairs and knocking on the door.

"Cass?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"I will be"

"Marko said he's sorry"

"I know. You don't have to avoid them because I am Erin, I know you like Dwayne."

"I know. But you're my best friend, and you mean more to me than he will. And if you don't want to be around them, then neither will I!" Cass smiled and was thankful for the best friend she was given.

"Good night Erin!" Cass called

"Night Cass!" and Erin made her way into her room.

That night, Cass didn't dream of Marko dying. No, she dreamt of him confessing his feelings, everything Cass had been wanting to hear from someone she cared about. She dreamt of a world where her and Marko could be together without all of the complications, and the lies, and the hurt, and then Cass realized she was having a nightmare. Because Marko would never admit his feelings for her, and she wasn't going to get to be with Marko in that way, and that scared her the most.


	7. vii

"Get up!" Cass screeched as she breezed into Erin's room. Fully intending on waking the girl up and having a good day. She was going to forget about her problems and have a good vacation. No matter what.

She ripped open the curtains to release some sunlight into the room, and Erin groaned, pulling her covers over her head.

"Nope! Not happening! Up!" Cass screamed again, ripping the covers off of her sleeping friend.

"What the hell!" Erin yelled, giving the other girl the best glare that she could while the sunlight was scorching her eyes.

"Oh relax, it's 1 in the afternoon!" Cass rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and staring at Erin.

"Uuuggghh!" Erin groaned, flinging herself back down onto the bed

"Beautifully said. Be downstairs in 10!" Cass smiled and made her way out of the room and downstairs to make some toast. She hadn't been eating as much as she normally did and her stomach was very displeased with her.

"I hate you, by the way" Erin snarled as she came by and stole Cass' toast. Cass didn't care as long as her friend was up and ready to hangout. She simply made more and they were off.

They decided to go into town to do a little shopping, and both definitely spent more than they needed too, but hey a girl always needs more clothes than necessary right?

After shopping for a few hours the girls decided to stop at a small cafe and rest their feet. After ordering their drinks, Erin decided to spark a conversation that Cass knew she couldn't avoid.

"So about last night…?" Erin began, hinting that Cass could go anyway with the conversation she chose. Cass sighed and gathered her thoughts, and Erin let her.

"I'm pretty hurt about everything that happened, but I'm not still as devastated as I was last night" Cass started, and it was true. She had laid in bed mulling everything over in her head and while yes, his words hurt, she couldn't really expect him to feel that strongly about her, they barely knew each other. But from what she had learned, it was clear that Marko got whatever girl he wanted, and that's what he's used to. It didn't seem that he had ever liked a girl, so he didn't know what to do, say, think, or feel when he supposedly found the one meant for him. No, she couldn't fault him for that. She could fault him for kind of leading her on though, she knew she had let him do sexual favors too soon, and that was her fault.

"Explain" Erin raised a brow and rested her chin in her hands.

"Well, I can't expect him to like me. I met him 2 days ago, he doesn't owe me anything. Meaning he can say and do what he wants, same as me." Cass shrugged and accepted her drink as the waitress came back to their table, and then was off again as she took their meal orders.

"Ok, I can see that. But what about your kiss with Paul?" Erin questioned

"What about it?" Cass asked confused

"Marko was pissed when you 2 kissed, like he grew fangs and changed eye colors pissed, that's not really fair of him to be like that towards you and you not be that protective in return." Erin clarified

"Yeah and I get that, but I also think that had to largely due to the fact that Paul is like his brother." Cass shrugged

Erin didn't say anything for awhile, silently thinking about the whole situation.

"So what are you going to do then? You gonna avoid him the rest of the time you're here?" Erin asked

"No, probably not. I'm going to avoid him tonight, mostly because I still need time to really get my thoughts in order, but also because I just really wanna have a lazy night with you and watch movies." Cass finalized the plans and didn't leave any room for discussion, not that Erin was complaining because she didn't feel like walking the boardwalk.

"So Dwayne?" Cass raised her eyebrows suggestively. Erin merely rolled her eyes at the girl and moved her drink so the waitress could place their meals down in front of them. Erin bit into sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, Cass on the other hand scooped up soup and waited for her answer.

"He's cute isn't he?" Erin finally asked

"Definitely" Cass agreed

"But you don't.. Like him right?" Erin asked, beginning to feel both anger and insecurity.

"Absolutely not. I think he's….interesting but nothing more than that." Cass said and Erin nodded, clearly agreeing that, that was the appropriate term to describe Dwayne. That or mysterious. Once the girls finished eating they made their way over to the salon and both got a little color in their hair, nothing drastic but not exactly subtle either. They left the salon feeling happy and pampered, which is exactly why they finally made their way back to the beach house. At this point it was nearly dark and the girls settled onto the couch fully content with snuggling up and watching as many movies as they could. They had chosen a horror film, though Cass was unsure why because neither of the girls were very good with being scared.

They had gotten to a particular scary point in the movie when someone banged loudly on the door. Both girls immediately screamed and the bowl of popcorn that Cass had been gripping with her life had been thrown up into the air, popcorn raining from the sky and onto their heads.

"Shit! You guys ok!?" Paul screamed from outside of the house, clearly thinking something was wrong other than him scaring the shit out of him. Cass stomped her way to the door and flung it open, giving Paul her best glare. He stared at her for a few heartbeats and then started cracking up.

"Oh my God! Did I scare you!?" Paul asked, still laughing

"Of course not! We're watching a movie!" Cass denied

"Then.. then why is there popcorn in your hair! Hahaha!" Paul laughed again and bent over.

Cass glared at him before she started chucking pieces of said popcorn at him, he dodged a few before catching the others and stuffing them into his mouth. They were both laughing before Cass sobered up.

"What are you doing here Paul?" Cass questioned

Paul scratched the back of his neck "I just wanted to check on you guys. Santa Carla isn't exactly safe, and I just wanted make sure you guys were ok. And I wanted to make sure you didn't hate me." He looked to the ground then, obviously scared of her answer.

"I don't hate you Paul. In fact I don't hate any of you." She simply stated

"So you still wanna be my friend?" Paul mumbled, scuffing his shoe on the ground.

"Friends? When did we decide that?" Cass exclaimed, mocking surprise

His head popped up and he gave her a wide eyed stare before he saw the huge smile on her face. He smiled back but shook his head.

"You're mean" he pouted

"Yeah yeah. Wanna come in and join girls night" Cass asked

"That's an insult to my masculinity but you have good popcorn, so yes I do." And then he stepped inside and Erin greeted him with a friendly smile and wave. Cass decided that they definitely needed more popcorn since the other bag was on the floor, and on second thought maybe 2 bags would be needed with Paul being here.

She settled onto the couch in between Erin and Paul with a bowl of popcorn on her lap and they resumed the movie. Both Cass and Paul reached for the popcorn at the same time and their hands brushed, Cass jumped and withdrew her hand, a slight blush coating her cheeks.

"Sorry" she whispered, covering her face with her hair.

"S'fine. Your hair looks good by the way" Paul complimented, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Cass smiled in thanks and grabbed popcorn for herself. The music picked up and she realized that a jump scare was coming, she tensed her body waiting for it, when right at the jump scare someone knocked on her door. All 3 of them yelling this time, Cass' hands going up in the air and the popcorn flying, Paul was here this time and caught it right as it was about to tumble down onto them.

"What the shit!" Erin yelled, clearly tired of being interrupted and being scared abruptly too many times.

"Oh the popcorn! Thank god for you Paul!" Cass chirped and patted his head, making her way over to the door. She swung it open and her smile dropped immediately.

"Who is it?" Paul called

"Your friends" Cass deadpanned, staring at the 3 men in front of her, she heard a curse and then Paul was speeding his way to her

"Well that's not very nice Cassandra" David drawed, giving her a sarcastic smile.

"I'm not a very nice person" Cass answered honestly

"What's up?" Paul asked, coming into to stand behind Cass.

"We were wondering where you were, we haven't seen you since we left the cave" Dwayne answered for all of them. Marko looked furious that they had found Paul here, but Cass couldn't find it within herself to care.

"Oh. Yeah I stopped by to see if they were ok" Paul shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with being caught.

"And why do you need to do that?" Marko seethed, taking a step forward

"Marko, chill. That was nice of Paul to check on them, we all know how dangerous Santa Carla can be" David swung his arm out and stopped Marko short, though it didn't stop the snarl that he aimed at Paul.

"We're watching movies is all" Paul said, bobbing his head.

That probably wasn't the best thing to say, and judging by the closed eyed look of Dwayne, he agreed.

"What!" Marko growled, looking between Cass and Paul. Cass had enough of the dramatics.

"Chill the fuck out. If you wanna count bumping hands over the popcorn bowl awkwardly something to be jealous of, you have issues." Cass sniped

"I'm not jealous!" Marko defended

Cass snorted, "yeah and I'm the Queen of England!" she rolled her eyes and Marko gave her a death glare.

"So can we join you?" David asked

"Sure!" Cass invited them in and closed the door. She really hoped they didn't have any friends that would stop by and scare her again. She eyed Dwanye and hoped that he would sit next to Erin. He eyed the spot as well and Erin tried to remain unfazed. He chose the recliner next to the couch and Erin deflated, obviously upset. Cass sat in her spot and Paul hurriedly sat next to her. This left the loveseat for Marko and David, Marko looked pissed as he passed Paul and plopped down on the loveseat.

"So what are we watching?" David asked settling in, crossing her ankles over one another.

"Some horror film. Now shush!" Cass put a finger to her lips and resumed the video

David raised his hands and focused on the movie. Did Cass mention that she hated scary movies? Cause she did.

A girl was running and the killer jumped out at the last second, slitting her throat in one fluid swipe, Cass screamed and jumped, ending up halfway in Paul's lap. The startled scream that Paul was about to let out was muffled by a rush of air coming out of his mouth from Cass landing on top of him. Erin had scrambled partially in Cass' lap as well, so they were all a pile of limbs. The other 3 boys watched, the only one that seemed to find it funny was David. Marko and Dwayne looked annoyed. Dwayne stared at Erin for a second before grabbing onto her ankle, Erin screamed and thrashed, causing Cass to jump backwards more, the movement drawing more breath out of Paul from her rising higher onto his lap.

"Why would you do that?" Erin questioned

Dwayne merely stared at her before he dragged her by her leg and lifted her onto his lap. Cass' mouth dropped open and she stared wide eyed at them and Erin didn't move a single muscle. She gave a quick glance to Cass who shrugged her shoulder and turned her face towards the screen, trying not to stare at the two. She had completely forgotten that she was on Paul's lap until he situated her until she wasn't sitting completely on his dick and her elbow was jabbing her in the rib cage. She blushed and mumbled an apology.

"Tis ok. Just please don't jump and crack your head against my jaw" Paul pleaded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him.

"I shall try" Cass agreed, focusing back on the movie. She could feel Marko's eyes on her, and could sense his eyes traveling to Paul's arms around her waist. She had become enthralled back in the movie when she heard her name being shouted into her head. She did a semi jump and Paul mumbled a 'what the fuck' before Cass' eyes darted around. Her eyes landing on Marko.

"Can you hear me?" Marko asked inside of her mind and Cass' eyes widened, giving a short nod and whispering yes back.

"Good. Get off of his lap." Marko said, and she could hear the anger in his voice

"No" Cass replied

"Cassandra" he growled and she didn't give a damn. She was comfortable, warm, and felt safe.

"You'll feel safer in my arms baby. Come here" Marko said softly and Cass looked at him, his eyes pleading with her.

"Why should I?" Cass questioned, finding herself really wanting to follow his command.

"Because I know you want me just as bad as I want you" he replied simply

"You don't seem like you want me Marko" she seethed

"I know. I'm sorry I suck at this, this is all so new to me. I just answered his question without thinking, and to be honest I'm not ready to explain how I feel to them just yet." He sighed

"How you feel?" Cass questioned

"Yes believe it or not I do feel Cassandra" he sighed again

"That's not what I meant" Cassandra replied

"Look can you please just come over here and I'll talk to you in private later. Please" he begged. She sat there for a long moment, before tapping Paul's hands. He immediately let her go and gave her a questioning look. She shrugged and gave him a smile walking over to Marko who opened his arms to her and lifted her onto his lap, cradling her against him. He gave a small kiss to the crown of her hair and wrapped his arms tightly against her. Nobody said anything and all acted like nothing had happened.

She snuggled her way into him more and he whispered 'thank you' into her hair, she nodded and looked up at him, giving him a small smile. He returned it.

"Wanna go upstairs?" he whispered and she nodded, she got up and lead him upstairs. She caught Erin's small smile at her and decided to ignore it. She lead him to the very back guest room and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

He paced for awhile and it was giving Cass a headache so she decided to start the conversation "so what did you want to talk about?" she asked, crossing her legs. That didn't seem to help because he ran his hand through his hair and a sudden image of her fists locking into it and pulling it came to the forefront of her brain, she pushed it away frantically and hoped he hadn't seen. He stopped walking and stared at her with dark eyes. Of course she wouldn't have that luck. He chuckled but came to sit next to her, grabbing her hand in his and interlocking their fingers, he stared at their hands for a long moment.

"I'm not good with this. With any of this. I'm not used to caring about anyone besides my brothers, and I'm certainly not used to opening up and having a meaningful conversation. Not even with them" he sucked in a breath, and Cass let him work through his own thoughts.

"I like you Cass. I liked you when I first saw you but I didn't want to freak you out. When you said that you had been having dreams about me, I got scared. That's the first sign of a mate and I didn't know what to do or how to act or feel. I fully prepared to ignore you and hope to not see you again when David thought we should talk to you. And you were this funny, sarcastic, full of life person that I was instantly drawn to you. You make me smile in a way I forgot how to. But I'm very good at fucking things up, and that's what I did. When Paul asked about you, it made me so mad. I didn't want to talk to them about you, especially him since you 2 had kissed." he stopped and let out a low growl

"I know Paul would never go after you in that way, but still the sight of his lips on yours, and his hands on you tonight" he shook his head "it just does something to me. I've never been an angry person, just mostly vindictive. But I was so angry when I saw that. I might have been able to kill him. Because you're mine. You're not just some random girl on the boardwalk, you were made for me. We were made for eachother and no Vampire takes that lightly." He looked at her then and cupped her face, gazing into her eyes with such an intensity that Cass had troubles thinking straight.

"I know I said a lot, but I just wanted to get it out before I forgot or lost the nerve" he murmured, rubbing his thumb on her cheek.

"I'm not really mad about things. I figured that out yesterday night. I was hurt, but I can't really blame you, we don't really know each other. You didn't owe me anything and you certainly didn't need to give me an explanation. But you did, and that's enough for me." She smiled at his and leaned further into her hand. He smiled at her again, and she was lost in it.

"We'll get to know each other, I'll learn everything about you if you'll let me. I want that with you Cassandra, whatever you're willing to give, I'll take. I'm greedy and I want everything to do with you." He exhaled and pressed his forehead to hers.

"So my dreams about you was the first sign we were mates?" she asked, needing to know more. He nodded and seemed to mull over his next words.

"Yes it is common for mates to dream about the other. I had a dream about you, but it is very fuzzy, but I remember you eyes." his other hand lifted and played with her hair, "you dyed your hair, it looks good" he gave her forehead a kiss.

"Thank you. So now that I know you, am I still going to have those dreams? Because I don't want to watch you die anymore" she asked in a shaky breath, gripping his shoulders with her hands.

"I'm not really sure. I don't think you should though" he closed his eyes

"You really think we're meant to be together?" she whispered, almost breathless.

"I do" he confirmed

"Then kiss me" she whispered, moving back to look him the eye.

And he did. He kissed her saying how sorry he was, and he kissed her like it was his first time kissing her, and like it would be his last. He kissed her with promises being made. And he kissed her like he really believed they were meant to be together until whenever the end of days came.


	8. viii

As Marko and I kissed, I couldn't help but fear this was a mistake. That I was basically letting the devil back inside, and Marko was just going to go off and do something else that royally pissed me off or hurt me. My thoughts continued on this path all the while I kept my lips locked on his. Even in my moment of turmoil I couldn't get enough of him.

"Cassandra" Marko whispered against my lips, I moved to rejoin them but he pulled back and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" I whispered worryingly

"I can hear your thoughts" he winced and looked away, biting his thumb nail in a way I found completely adorable, I would file that away later.

"I'm sorry. My thoughts are my own worst enemy" I cringed and scratched my eyebrow.

"Everyone's thoughts are like that. I can't blame you though, because you're probably right." He shook his head and closed his eyes, exhaling deeply.

"What do you mean?" I murmured and grabbed his hand, trying to anchor him to me.

"I mean, I am an asshole. You have every right in the world to be afraid of me, if I were you, I would be to. I could hurt you, in more ways than one. And I've thought about it." he said honestly, and his words sent absolute dread throughout my entire body. I didn't know what to say, what could I say anyways? To tell him he was wrong? He wasn't, I wouldn't lie to him to make him feel better.

He smiled and looked up at me then, cupping my face in a gloved hand "but Cassandra, unlike anyone else that I've hurt, you have the potential to hurt me as well. And it scares the shit out me." He leaned his forehead against mine and rubbed small circles into my cheek.

I closed my eyes for a second and basked in his soothing touches, "Marko I can promise to not hurt you, if you don't hurt me" I whispered and my hands carded through his curls slowly.

He didn't answer right away, he merely just reveled in the light touches I was giving him. "You are going to hurt me though Cassandra" he finally spoke and moved away from her, going into the corner of the room and looking at me like a sad puppy and I immediately wanted to see him smile again.

"No, no I won't Marko!" I stood up and crossed to him pulling his arms into my hands and hugging him as tightly as I could "I won't." I whispered again as I took in his scent, this time instead of motor oil and sea breeze, he had a coppery scent to him - blood. The thought sent a shiver down my spine and I briefly wondered if he enjoyed yet another girl the way I saw him last night.

He pulled me back to look me in the eye "no I didn't, I swear it. I only drank from her, then she was gone. I only thought of you last night Cass, I know that doesn't make it any better, but it's true. I could only think about the way your skin felt under mine, and the way your eyes darkened when I said your name, or when I touched you. I thought of the small sounds you make that drive me absolutely insane. And mostly I thought of your words and how fucking delicious to me it was that I was able to make you feel like that, that I was the only one to make you feel like that, and to see how beautiful you looked coming undone. It puts a sick pride in me that I will never lose." He leaned down and kissed me hard, the kiss was messy and their teeths knocked together in their haste as Marko pushed her back onto the bed, his lean body covering her with his own.

"God you don't know what you do to me Cassandra" and just how he loved, her eyes darkened and he claimed her mouth with his own again, yanking her hands under his to pin them against the bed. His hips jutting out onto hers as he looked down at her, her lips swollen and red from their kiss and his teeth, her eyes were wild and dark, and her skin had a glow to it that had wanting to explore every inch to see if the glow traveled everywhere.

"What do I do to you?" She questioned, giving him her best sexy smirk. It worked.

"How about I show you?" He growled, and lifter her hips, his hips slotted against hers, the angle had him wishing they were naked. He grinded her hard against him, making sure she felt every inch of him that she could through her clothes and his. He wasn't disappointed when she let out a high pitched moan and threw her head back in bliss. So he did it again, and again, and again.

"Marko please" she begged, she didn't know what she was begging for, but she needed something, anything. It didn't seem like he was in a mood to disappoint tonight because his lips came crashing down onto hers once again and his fingers went to the edge of the white t-shirt she was wearing, practically ripping it off of her body. He was greedy because he didn't think he was ever going to get to see her again, let alone like this. He stopped moving when he realized she didn't have a bra on under her shirt.

Her head popped up from its position on the bed "Marko, what's wrong?" her voice raw and sounding funny in her own ears.

"You don't have a bra on" he said stupidly, and she didn't know how to answer him. Because obviously she didn't have a bra on, no one wore a bra with a t-shirt, it's called living comfortably.

"Uh huh and?" she raised a brow at him

"Paul was here, the other boys were here. Paul touched you, hugged you and you didn't have a bra on" his voice rose with every word and she knew she needed to remedy this immediately.

"Sure. But Paul didn't see my boobs, or touch them" and she brought his hand down on top of one breast, squeezing his fingers for him. The action made her let out a small gasp.

"But he could have felt them when he hugged you" his voice was smaller, and laced with insecurity.

"Doubt he noticed even if that happened, he liked that movie" and her hips rose to grind on his once again. He closed his eyes briefly and his mouth opened up the tiniest bit.

"You don't know that" he groaned and repeated her action

"I only want you Marko, not Paul" she finally said and his eyes snapped open to meet her expressive blue eyes. Their gazes locked and he was mesmerized by the truth in them. He nodded and sighed

"I'm sorry.. I just.." but Cass stopped him with a finger to his lips and shaking her head.

"It's ok baby, I get it" and traced her finger over his lips and down his jaw, and then down his jugular, before going up and tangling in his hair. The action made him let out an audible moan, a sound she hadn't heard from him yet.

"I want you, Marko" she repeated and his eyes darkened, flashing yellow briefly before his hands were around her back and bringing her up and into his embrace. Her fingers removing themselves from his hair and pushing his jacket to the floor, God she loved that thing, she had to ask him how he made it because she wanted something similar.

"I'll help you make one" he mumbled and then he was back to giving her mind numbing kisses, and their hands tangled more than once as they tried to get the others clothes off, Cass didn't think it took very long for either of them to get completely naked. Cass had imagined him naked, but what her mind could conjure up was nothing compared to the sight before her. He was all muscle, lean and hard. His abs clenched and her hands were to them, scratching lightly and feeling, completely in awe of the man above her.

"Cassandra you're beautiful" he murmured and pulled back to look at her, even though he had seen her naked before, it still sent shocks through his body. Cass blushed, having never been called beautiful by anyone she cared to hear it from. Her ex used sexy, which wasn't bad, but the other demeaning terms he used after it made her feel like an object, rather than a person. Marko wrapped his fingers around her chin and forced to look at him, not that she wanted to look anywhere else.

"Your ex is an asshat, and I will kill him if I ever get the chance. He may not have called you beautiful enough, but I will make up for his shitty behavior if you'll let me" he gave a genuine smile, filled with sunshine and her heart soared, landing somewhere in outer space.

"You don't have to make up for him, just be you, I appreciate it all the same" and then she leaned up and captured his lips in a feverish kiss. He tumbled down on top of her and they were pressed so tightly together that neither of them knew where the other began or ended.

He rubbed against her slick heat and her mouth dropped open, extremely nervous but in no way would she ever stop.

"You ok?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Yeah, I'm perfect, just a little nervous" she gave him a smile all the same to reassure him.

"I am too" he replied, acting a bit sheepish.

"Good we'll figure this out together then" finishing with a beaming smile. She reached down and wrapped her fingers around him, gasping in surprise, she hadn't realized just how big he was. She began to slowly stroke him, delighting in the small noises he made, she rubbed her thumb gently over the tip, groaning when his hips snapped into her hands, a rather loud moan escaping his mouth. His hand reached down then, expertly finding her clit and rubbing slowly, increasing the pressure every so often. Then all she could do was moan, her hand picked up the pace as soon as his fingers found her opening, thrusting 2 in all at once, the stretch causing her hips to rise.

"You gotta stop or I'll finish before we start" he said before wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her hand off of him, she gave him a pout and he smirked at her before kissing his way down the valley of her breasts, down her stomach, both of her hip bones, and then planted himself on the floor. He opened her legs and gave gentle kisses and slight nips to the insides of her thighs. He placed her legs over his shoulders and his tongue darted out, licking near where she needed him the most, but not quite there. She huffed and he let out a slight laugh, the hot air causing her hips to rise off of the bed.

"God you drive me crazy" and then his tongue was wrapped around her clit, giving it light sucks, driving her mad.

"Oh my God" she mumbled, throwing her head back in pure ecstasy.

"Remember what I told you when I fingered you at the cave?" he asked backing away from her to look her in the eye. His chin was already slick with her need and the sight had her writhing under his hands that were firmly planted on her thighs to keep her from moving too much.

"Wh...what?" she mumbled, lost in bliss.

"Look at me!" he demanded, her eyes found his and one hand left her thigh to travel down, using his 2 fingers he spread open her folds and his tongue lapped at the opening before slithering inside. She watched him, and the sight was one she would never forget. He pulled back and she whined,

"Baby you're so wet for me" he moaned and dove back down, sucking and making small bites. She watched through blurry vision and was borderline screaming when he pulled away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and crawling on top of her.

"Why did you stop?" she asked breathless

"Because I want to be inside of you when you come. I'll get you off like that another time" he promised, lifting her slightly so he could position himself at her entrance. She clenched in anticipation, needing him more than anything. He pushed in slowly, knowing she needed time to adjust. Ever so slowly he pushed in inch by inch and she realized she was going mad. She needed more, so much more.

"Marko" she whimpered, wrapping her legs around him. He looked down at her and then snapped his hips abruptly, pushing himself all the way in. She let out a small scream and bucked her hips, not used to being filled so completely. His length reached places inside of her that she didn't even know existed. He backed out slowly, before slamming inside of her again, the action causing her whole body to scoot forward on the bed. He continuously did this, not picking up the pace and it drove her insane.

"More more!" she pleaded, bucking her hips to cause more movement, he smirked at her before asking

"Are you sure you can handle it?" and the words almost made her come apart, because they were exactly like her dream version of him.

"You know I can you ass!" she growled, dragging her nails down his back. He returned her growl and picked up the pace, a steady rhythm taking place of the slow torture he had been giving her. His hand came down and rubbed her clit in smooth circles, furthering her pleasure.

"God Marko" she moaned, pulling his hair and forcing his head down to kiss him, he couldn't rub her that well from the position but she knew that just having him inside of her and having him filling her so completely would finish her off. She clenched around him and he moaned, picking up the pace again and slamming into her over and over, pulling back and grabbing her hips, angling them upwards so he could go in deeper and harder. The new position had her seeing stars and she clenched hard, her entire body exploding with pleasure and she let out a scream, not even realizing too far gone to know she did it.

"Shit Cassandra!" Marko yelled as she clenched around him, he watched her come undone and the sight had him pulling out and coming all over her stomach. His come hot and coming out in long strings. By the time he finished, he was panting, not used to coming as hard as he just did. She was staring at him with hooded eyes, turned on by seeing him jerk himself off over her stomach and feeling his come on her. He looked up at her then and gave her a light smile, she returned in and then drug one finger through his come, bringing it up to her mouth and sucking on it. The taste made her moan and she did it again. He watched her in awe, his dick rock hard again. She cleaned off her stomach slowly and seductively, making sure he got the message. He did.

She got the advantage and knocked him onto his back, straddling him. He was in a daze after what he just witnessed.

"You ok baby?" she questioned, a slight laugh to her voice

"Yeah yeah" he said dreamily, she laughed again before stroking his cock making sure it was completely hard. He groaned and bucked his hips up, she leaned down and swiped her tongue over the tip, gathering the cum that was still there. She took the whole head into her mouth and sucked hard, her tongue circling his tip before her mouth traveled further down. She took him as far as she could allow before coming back up slowly, then repeating the action several times. He was lost in pleasure, his hands wrapped tightly into her hair, the sounds coming from his mouth were purely animal. She pulled back, his cock falling out of her mouth. She came back up to straddle him and he watched her, she was wet already and didn't need for him to help her out. She positioned him at her entrance before dropping down on top of him. Her walls stretching to accommodate him in this position.

"Shit you're still wet. You get that way just from sucking me off?" his voice husky and deep. She nodded and began lifting herself up and dropping herself down, setting a rhythm in between slow and fast. He groaned and pulled her down to kiss her, making sure his hips snapped up to meet her thrusts, this pushed him in deeper and more sounds fell out of her mouth, only to be swallowed by Marko. He lifted her up a little before thrusting up into her quickly, the pace making her race towards her finish.

"I'm so close" she whined, digging her nails into his shoulder blade, he grunted and pulled her back down, keeping the place but sucking on her neck. Making sure to leave his mark for anyone to see.

"Bite me!" she yelled, nipping at the tip of his ear.

His hips stuttered in surprise and he didn't respond for a long second

"Are you sure?" he asked, even though she knew it's what he wanted.

"Yes" she moaned, so close but not willing to finish until he bit her. His fangs slid out and then pierced her neck quickly. Cass came right then, his bite causing her to lose control and finishing hard. She yelled his name and he took a few swallows, licking over the wound.

"God Cassandra I'm close" she ground her hips down and he pulled out, "can I finish in your mouth?" he hurriedly asked

"Yes" she moaned and then he was over her mouth and her lips wrapped around him her tongue darting out. He finished and she swallowed everything he gave her, using her hand to rub him up and down to make his orgasm lasted longer. She swallowed and he collapsed beside her, gathering her up into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and an arm around his waist, his hand was trailing lazily up and down her spine.

"I never imagined it could feel like that" she finally spoke into the quiet

"Yeah me either" he agreed, tugging her closer to him.

"It was good for you then?" she questioned shyly

He hummed, "the best" he assured her, giving her hair a light kiss. She smiled at that and rubbed her hand over his chest. He exhaled and leaned his head against her, incredibly sleepy.

"Marko?" she questioned

"Yeah?" he answered back

"What did you mean when you said I was going to hurt you?" she questioned, his fingers stopping their trail on her ribs. He sighed before answering

"Because you're leaving. I'm not." he said simply and she was saddened by his tone. "You said it yourself last night. It was bound to end because you didn't live here." his tone took on one that Cass was afraid of. He sounded nonchalant and she didn't like it.

"What if I stayed?" she asked, and he let out a scoff.

"Yeah right. Here in Santa Carla? You wouldn't last." Then he detangled himself from her and got up to get dressed, he dressed in a haste trying to make a quick escape.

"And why not?" she let out angrily, tired of his mood swings.

"Because I'm a vampire" he stated and she didn't know what the hell that had to do with anything.

"Well are you going to give me a reason or not?" she asked bitterly

He looked at her like she had 6 heads, "that is a reason!" he justified

"A shitty one, in fact I don't even think that counts as a reason!" she accused, pulling the covers up since he was no longer naked. She sat up to look at him.

"It's as good a reason as any"

"Not really. Why are you trying to get rid of me?" she asked, getting straight to the point. He let out an exasperated breath before growling.

"I'm not trying to get rid of you. If I wanted to do that I would just rip your throat out and be done" his words caused her to flinch violently

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she yelled and he snapped his head to look at her from his boots.

"Nothing is the matter with me! What's the matter with you?" he argued

"Right now you!" she yelled, throwing her hands up

"Yeah well then leave!" he argued back

"You're in our vacation house!" she pointed out

"I meant Santa Carla!" he seethed and his words shut her up. She looked at him like she didn't know him, and in truth she didn't. She realized the only thing she knew about him was that he was a vampire. Then she realized he was being the exact way she feared he would be, and she was trying so hard not to regret her decision of letting him back in.

"Why?" she questioned in a calmer tone this time

"Because I'm not good for you. Neither is this place, you have a life to go back to." he said shakily

"No I don't. I have an apartment, that I hate. A job I can replace easily. And Erin, who would probably move here in an instant if I asked her too" she shrugged

"Then your life is sadder than I thought" he got up and walked to the door

"So that's it? We're just done, after all of this? After what we just did?" she whispered, feeling her throat tighten up.

"Yeah I guess, I mean come on Cassandra. We wouldn't have worked out, I like other girls too much, I could never be loyal. And to be honest the way you talk about your ex, and your sex life kind of freaks me out." he smirked, but on the inside he was dying. He knew not a bit of what he said was true, but he had to get her to leave. She wasn't safe here, he couldn't always protect her. And he knew she couldn't live this life that he did, she was too much of a light. He never wanted that to dim, so he would let her go. He would let her be with someone that could love her right, give her a better life. Even if it made his black heart break into a million pieces. So he did what he had to, he hurt her so she wouldn't come back, he knew the words to say to crush her feelings, even if he was crushing his own in the process.

Cass opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She wondered what she did wrong, why she wasn't good enough, why she was never good enough. The thought made the vice on her heart strengthen until she was in literal pain. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Little did she know that Marko felt it too, he was in just as much pain as she was. He never wanted her to think she wasn't good enough, because she was. She was more than enough, but he couldn't say that to her.

"I hate you" she whispered finally, a tear slipping out before she could stop it. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around her body. He felt the urge to go wipe it from her face to hold her and never let go, but he didn't do either of those things. Instead, he grabbed the handle and turned it, opening the door before looking over his shoulder at her. She still had her eyes closed, and her heart was thumping loudly. He didn't want to remember her like this, but he knew the sight would haunt him for his long miserable existence.

"Good you should" he said before walking out. He heard her let out a cry and the sound nearly brought him to his knees, he leaned against the wall. He had to force his body down the stairs instead of turning around like it wanted to.

Cass sat in numb silence. She heard what he said and tried to make sense of it. Why would he do this to her? Why would he say all of those sweet things and then turn into the jerk he just was? It's like he wanted her to hate him. The thought made her bolt up right before remembering his words 'i'm not good for you' and telling her she should hate him, and to leave Santa Carla. She got up quickly, throwing on clothes and rushing down the stairs, she didn't have time to think about how Dwayne and Erin were cuddling on the couch, she raced outside and shouted his name. She saw his silhouette walking in the distance, he stopped and turned to look at her.

"Marko please! I could never hate you! Please don't try and force me to!" she pleaded, he stared at her before shaking his head and turning around. She stepped forward to go after him before she choked, falling to her knees. He stopped and turned again, he saw a guy behind her, his knife sliding slowly out of her side. She dropped and he caught her. He gave a smile to Marko before saying

"Sorry Marko, she's mine now" and then he laughed and took off. Marko screamed and flew off towards him, Dwayne came rushing out looking around and seeing no one. He had heard Marko scream, he knew that much, he had felt the pain of his scream. He looked around for any sign of a clue before stopping and kneeling to the ground, he gave a slight sniff and immediately knew it was blood. And the scent was recent and very much Cassandra's.

"What's wrong!?" Erin came rushing out searching the area for danger. Dwanye didn't say anything, the other boys flying in quickly, also feeling their brothers pain.

"What happened? Where's Marko?" David questioned, striding up to Dwayne. Paul sniffed,

"Is that blood?" he asked and then David sniffed to, his eyes zeroing in on Dwayne's finger where he had touched the small pool of blood.

Dwayne nodded in confirmation, "it smells like Cass" Paul whimpered and looked around, looking for any sign of the short girl.

"It is" David confirmed before looking at Dwayne. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I heard Marko scream and when I came out neither of them were out here."

"Shit" Paul cursed, afraid for both his brother and his new friend.

"Cass.. Cass is gone?" Erin whimpered, her lip quivering slightly, her eyes shone with unshed tears. Dwayne pulled her into him and hugged her.

"We don't know anything yet!" David reminded them, and it was then that Marko came stumbling down. David reached out and caught him but Marko sank to the ground, letting out a cry of anguish. He was crying and all of them were so startled by the sight that no one spoke.

"She's gone." Marko cried, pulling at his hair. "She's fucking gone and it's my fault. She's gone and I left her with the worst possible words I could say to her" he sobbed and shook violently.

"Marko what happened?" David got to eye level with the smaller blonde.

"He took her. He stabbed her and took off with her. He was too fast, I couldn't keep up. I lost them. I lost her" and then he was hugging himself. The boys stiffened at his revelation.

"Who is him?" Erin questioned from beside Dwayne, tears falling steadily down her face.

"Thomas"


	9. ix

When Cass woke up she was in excruciating pain. She couldn't remember a damn thing, and she couldn't move…..wait couldn't move? Her eyes popped open and snuck a peek at her surroundings, she was in some type of cellar, or basement and she was chained to a wall...lovely.

Why was she chained to a wall? Who had the time to chain her to the wall? Who had chains laying around anyways? Why would someone have a basement that looked like a torture chamber? Didn't make any sense.

She heard chuckling and her eyesight followed the sound, the laugh was deep and had a sense of authority lingering in it, definitely male.

"Cassandra, so happy you're awake. I was afraid you were going to sleep through my plans" a man stepped out of the shadow of the right wall. He was taller than anyone she had ever seen, his eyes a striking green that made the crisp white shirt he was wearing look dim.

"Who the fuck are you?" was what she managed to say, and applauded herself for actually sound pissed off, and not just pissing herself. The man chuckled again and took slow steps towards her, his hands in his pockets.

"I see why Marko likes you so much, you are both feisty." the man smiled at her and she cringed, wanting to hide. Then she thought of Marko and his words, and her heart broke all over again.

"Foolish girl. Marko may look like an sweet angel, but he is the devil incarnate. He still has no measure to me of course, but he was only trying to protect you. You have made him soft." he scoffed and circled around her, she flinched and bit her lip. He stopped at her left side, and then jabbed his pointer finger into her wound, the action causing her to let out a dry scream and her vision to blur significantly. Her head dropped and everything around her swam, including his voice.

"Don't worry darling, I won't torture you too much. I just want Marko to see how badly you were hurting before you died, it will make for an excellent picture." he smiled as if fantasizing about the picture he was painting.

"Why?" she questioned, though her voice was raw, he heard her just fine.

"It's really nothing personal, I just hate that little shit and his friends. He killed my daughter, and now I will also kill someone he cares a lot about. I know he will find me soon, his rage could equal a titan. Though you will be dead long before he catches your scent. Yes, I have been waiting a long, long time for this." He smiled then, and whipped his hand towards her head, the force knocking her out cold, and a rush of blood to come trickling down. Thomas thought about drinking her blood, but found himself nauseous the next. He couldn't stand touching the girl that Marko had been with, not after what he had done. Besides that, he could smell Marko all over her, even her blood reeked of him.

 _Marko_

Marko had finally fallen asleep though it took several hours longer than the other boys. He knew he needed to sleep so he could be at his best tomorrow, but he couldn't stop picturing her face when he ripped her heart out, and then he couldn't stop picturing the knife being drug out of her body and her slumping to the ground. It gave him nightmares, and vampires definitely were not supposed to get nightmares.

He heard his brothers awaken and he too felt the draw of the moon, though he was more sluggish than the others. He met them in the main lobby, all standing in a small circle. He was normally happy when he woke up, knowing they were going to have a good night, and that he was going to feed. But the thought of feeding caused him to get sick, he could still taste Cassandra's blood on his tongue.

"How are you feeling?" David questioned, taking a drag from his cigarette. He wanted to say well how the fuck do you think considering? But he didn't. He needed David's help, now more than ever.

"I don't know, ok I guess." he shrugged and looked anywhere but at his maker, or anyone else for that matter. Especially Dwayne, because when he looked at Dwayne he would see Erin wrapped around him, and seeing that caused his heart to constrict, because he wanted Cass to be wrapped around him. And seeing Erin made him think of Cass, and he thought about her enough. Looking at Paul wasn't much better because the other blonde made him think about the 2 kissing, and it pissed him off but also had him wishing he could watch them kiss again, instead of where she was now. So he settled to stare at the ground.

"Don't lie to me" David growled and Marko flinched and then met his eyes.

"What? You want me to admit I'm losing my fucking mind? That I didn't really sleep, or that I don't think I'm going to be able to feed tonight without getting sick?" he yelled in anger, really not needing David's attitude right now.

"Yes, I did want to know that. So when we come down on Thomas with hell's fury I know it's for the right cause" David explained and Marko was so shocked he didn't know what to say. So he just nodded his head in agreement.

"So what's the plan?" Paul asked

"We leave, we feed, we follow Thomas or Cassandra's scent. Dwayne that will mostly be up to you, you're our best tracker and you've committed her scent to memory." Dwayne nodded and the rest nodded along with him.

"And me?" Erin questioned in a small voice.

"You're going back to the house" Dwayne answered

"What? No! I'm helping you find Cass, she's my best friend Dwayne!" she protested

"No, you are not going" he spoke

"Yes I am!" she argued back

"Sorry girl, but I agree with stone man over here. We don't need you getting captured, or getting in the way. We'll get Cass and then we'll all come back here like one giant fucked up family!" Paul said trying to raise the spirits.

"But…"

"No buts! Dwayne makes that call and he has decided. I don't want to hear anymore about it. Now let's go!" David ended the conversation and flew out, Erin looked absolutely annoyed but that was to be expected. She looked at him then but he just shrugged and gave her a small smile before following David out of the cave, it was going to be a long and painful night, for that he was sure of.

 _Cass_

When Cass woke up again, she had a stunningly terrible headache. Just opening her eyes hurt, it wasn't bright my any means in the basement, but her headache made her think so. She tried to sit up more to release some ache in her arms, but only furthering her back pain and her headache. She closed her eyes to try and keep from crying out, she couldn't tell if her kidnapper was down here or not, but she hoped he was upstairs so she could try and formulate a plan. She sat and thought for awhile and didn't come up with anything that could help her fight him off, after all she was chained to a wall which restricted her movement.

She had been about to try and go back to bed, hoping that if she was still sleeping he would leave her alone for awhile longer. That was when she felt a nudging at her brain, it caused her headache to throb but she concentrated on it, trying to figure out what the sensation was. After finally picking her way through and trying to slow her breathing she was left of an image of Marko. Well Marko's legs as he walked down the boardwalk, he then glanced up and looked at all of his brothers, Erin included. She didn't know why she was seeing this, but she was going to try and use it to her advantage.

She started by yelling his name repeatedly, the sensation of yelling inside of her head made her head feel fuzzy and was much harder to do when she was losing blood. She stopped when he didn't show any indication that he heard her, she felt like crying, and screaming, and hugging him, and punching him. She let out a cry of anguish. He stopped moving then, almost tripping. His eyes roamed throughout the boardwalk, but then his eyes snapped up to meet David's.

"What's wrong?" David asked, his eyebrows furrowed

"I swear I just heard Cass cry out" he explained and everyone else's eyes darted out to look around.

"I don't think so man, I can't smell her" Dwayne said and she screamed Marko again. His whole body jolted and he turned in all directions, she was yelling no over and over again but he didn't hear her. Ugh. This was harder than she thought, she calmed her breathing and tried to relax, if she got angry she would over exert herself and pass out. 'Marko please' she whispered, her vision of his eyesight blurring. 'Cass' came a reply and she almost cried. 'Yes yes yes it's me' she sobbed 'where' he questioned back 'I don't know how I can see or talk to you but I'm in a basement, he stabbed me and my head is bleeding, he said he was going to kill me' she sobbed again and just wanted to be in his arms.

'Shit, tell me more baby. As much as you can, what did he say? Did he give any clues as to where you are?' 'No not much. He just said he hated you because you killed his daughter. I have this feeling that he's older than he looks' 'I killed his daughter?' Marko asked back, she could hear the puzzlement in his voice. 'That's what he said. I don't know much, but I'm chained to a wall.' she grumbled 'I'm going to find you baby I promise Dwayne's a great tracker, I'll be holding you before you know it'

She was about to reply when the door to the basement flung open, banging against the wall. She screamed and shrunk in on herself as best as she could. She could hear Marko in her mind screaming her name and asking what was wrong. She watched the man come towards her, he grabbed her by the throat and and squeezed hard. She choked and he let her vision see dots before he let her go again. She coughed violently and shook

"You've been talking to him!" he screamed, and dealt her with a slap to the face she cried out and blood poured down her lip. She heard Marko tell the boys that he found out he had been speaking to Cass, that he could see him and the basement, but she could also hear the sheer terror in his voice, and it comforted her.

'Just hang on baby, I'm coming' and the man spoke again

"Actually thank you Cassandra, for now when I harm you, he will see it too, instead of just finding your dead body. This is most excellent news" and he laughed, rolling his sleeves up and pulling out a small knife. She backed away and chanted no out loud, begging him.

"Like I said sweetheart, nothing against you. But I'm going to enjoy hurting him" and then he drug the knife down her arm, deep enough that blood began to flow out of the wound quickly. She screamed when he suddenly dug the knife deep into the soft flesh of her thigh.

"Humans are so fragile. There is such beauty in the way you guys bleed" the man circled the knife around her face but only made small cuts, which she was thankful for.

"You're losing blood a lot faster than I thought you would, which means you're going to die quicker than I thought. Sad to have the game end, but we had fun didn't we?" He smiled at her then and plunged the knife into her other side. The blunt force caused her to stop breathing for a second, her whole world shifting. Her body bowed forwards and she couldn't concentrate enough to breathe, her breaths coming out in small pants that didn't equal enough oxygen.

'Cass! Cassandra! Stay with me baby, I'm coming. Dwayne caught the scent of your blood. Just hold on please' he sobbed and she could feel him flying through the air. 'I'm.. ' she panted out using all of her energy in 2 words. 'No, I'm sorry, I should have never of said what I did to you, I just didn't want you to get hurt' 'Not...good... enough' she managed to huff out losing her fight with consciousness.

"Yes Cassandra, tell him how much he hurt you. That way he'll feel even worse when he finds you dead" the man spoke menacingly. She didn't have the energy to look up at him and reply. Hell, she had a hard time breathing. She felt all of her blood rushing out of her wounds, and she realized she was sitting in quite a large pool of blood. Yeah, she wasn't going to make it.

'You're good enough! You're perfect! Please!' Marko was chanting in her mind over and over again, she could only manage to nod her head and whisper his name lightly. Though she didn't know if it was out loud of not, because right after, she blacked out.

 _Marko_

He both saw and felt her pain, and it felt like he was dying. He didn't know how many times he yelled her name, how many times he said sorry, or how many times he said please. But it didn't seem like enough. He couldn't hear or see from her anymore and it almost made him fall out of the sky.

"We are close. Cassandra is strong Marko" Dwayne said softly from beside him, he could only manage a weak nod. They dropped down to an abandoned house, and they made their way inside quickly and quietly. He wanted to run in there screaming her name but he knew that wouldn't help her. He knew this was the place, Cassandra's smell was everywhere.

David and Dwayne checked the main level of the house while Marko and Paul rushed down the stairs. Marko stopped in his tracks at the sight before him, Paul let out a small cry. Cassandra was still chained to the wall by her hands and her feet were shackled to the floor. She was sitting in a puddle of blood, and her whole body was covered in stabs, scratches, bruises, or dirt.

She wasn't breathing. He heard David and Dwayne rush downstairs, throwing something on the ground. He saw Thomas and in a rage he had him pinned against the wall by his throat within seconds.

"Not now Marko! Cass needs you!" Paul bellowed and he immediately let the man drop, rushing to her and breaking the chains. He brought her close to him and rocked her, brushing the hair out of her face.

"I'm so sorry Cass. So sorry" he sobbed

"Marko. You know what to do" Marko looked up at David and he nodded, biting into his wrist and placing it over her mouth. Paul came over and tilted her head back more, rubbing her throat so he could help her swallow.

"Come on Cass" he mumbled, rubbing a bit harder on her throat. Marko stopped bleeding and he bit into his wrist again, he did this 3 more times but there were still no signs of life from her.

"NO!" Marko screamed crying full on now. "You can't leave me, I just found you." He knew he couldn't give her anymore blood, or he wouldn't have enough to get himself home.

"Marko, she's gone. I'm sorry" Dwayne came over and leaned down next to the trio, placing his hand on the younger boys shoulder.

"No" he whispered back

"Marko. We must go" David said, still pinning a barely conscious Thomas to the floor.

"She'll make it!" Paul yelled at all of them, biting into his wrist and shoving it into her mouth. They all watched him do it, and none of them could say anything. They had never seen Paul been so passionate about something besides weed and rock n roll. He pressed his fingers to her throat and brought her head up more. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then she swallowed on her own.

"Cassandra!" Marko cried, hugging her tightly. She groaned, and latched onto Paul's wrist that was in her mouth, now drinking on her own. She pulled away and looked up at Marko.

"Marko?" she questioned, still not having her full eyesight with her.

"I'm here" he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I knew you'd find me" she gave him a small dazed smile and promptly fell back asleep. He watched her before passing her over to Paul who pulled her close. He wanted to whack him but he knew he just helped him save her life, and he had more pressing issues to worry about. Like ripping out Thomas' throat.

He walked over and leaned down, grabbing the man by the hair and jerking him up so he could look him in the eye. Thomas just laughed and spit blood out, some of it spurting onto Marko's face. He slowly cleaned it off and bashed his head again the floor, causing the man's frontal teeth to come tumbling out of his mouth.

"Not so funny now huh?" Marko seethed, grinning a devil's smile.

"No still funny. She died either way, and your pain and face was worth it" he spit, "you deserve all the pain in the world and then some, you drained my daughter dry in front of me."

"And now you're going to die, funny how the world works out huh?" Marko grabbed him by the neck, pulling him to stand, and then lifting him up slightly so his feet were no longer on the ground. "Can't say I remember your daughter though, if she looks or smells anything like you, I'm sure I didn't enjoy myself." he smiled and the man growled, thrashing. Marko snapped his hand to the side in one quick motion, Thomas' body slumping to the ground, while his head flew off to the side. He walked over to the head and kicked it towards the body, Dwayne coming over with a match to set the body on fire.

"Let's go. Daylight is coming soon." David spoke and they moved to follow him up the stairs. Marko turned and went to grab Cassandra from Paul's hands, only to have Paul growl at him and pull her tighter into his body.

"What the fuck Paul, give her to me" barely controlling his anger.

"No. You almost got her killed" Paul argued, shouldering past him. Marko followed him up.

"How is this my fault? Give me my mate!" he screamed, spinning Paul around abruptly when they got outside.

"You killed his daughter" Paul accused

"I'm sure you've killed a lot of people's daughters. This dad just decided to come back for revenge. Give her to me now" he seethed

"Paul. Marko. Enough! We're losing time, Paul give Cassandra to Marko now. He cried all the way here thinking she was dead." David yelled, Paul shot Marko a dirty look before gently handing her over to him. They all took flight, stopping at Erin's to grab her before entering the cave.

"Is she going to be ok?" Erin whispered from beside Cass, holding the other girls hand.

"Yes. She'll be different, but she will be ok." Dwayne spoke from beside Erin, placing his hand on her shoulder. Erin nodded, letting loose a few tears.

'David?' Marko questioned through his mind

'What?'

'Why is Paul being so protective of Cassandra?'

David didn't answer for a while, seemingly trying to find the best way to answer. 'My guess is that Paul's blood worked to revive her, so he feels that she is his in a sense' this caused Marko to let out a threatening growl. 'He's going to be protective of her because he looks at her like his child, the same way I look at all of you' David clarified. It still didn't sit well with Marko, but he was bone tired. He grabbed Cassandra in his arms and carried her to a back room. He laid down next to her and brushed her hair off her face.

"I'm sorry you didn't get a choice, but I couldn't lose you" he whispered against her cheek as he placed a kiss onto it. He cuddled up next to her and heard David travel further into the cave to go to sleep. Paul had already retired for the night, having been too angry to talk to any of them. Dwayne was staying with Erin in a few rooms down.

Marko fell asleep content that his family was safe, and that he had Cassandra back in his arms once again. Alive. Happy that the threat seemed to vanish along with Thomas' ashes.

But he should have known that when you live in Santa Carla, nowhere and no one was safe.


	10. x

The world _definitely_ felt different when Cass opened her eyes. For starters, she knew she was alone, and that wasn't because she saw she was alone. No, she knew that before, because she could hear everyone down in the main part of the cave talking. That's definitely something new. Her eyesight had become significantly better, in fact she saw particles floating through the air.

Her ears perked when she realized everyone had stopped talking, probably figuring out she was awake. She couldn't really remember what happened, other than seeing Marko holding her, dried tears on his face. Had she died? She didn't _remember_ dying, but she supposed most people didn't. Her mouth felt stale and had a lingering taste of copper within it. That was weird, but then again she had been slapped pretty hard, tasting blood was usual. She finally got up and made her way down the narrow corridor, finding herself face to face with the Lost boys, and Erin.

"Erin!" she grinned laughing and running towards her friend. The blonde gave her a weak smile and engulfed her in a hug.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much!" Cass cried, hugging the girl tighter. Erin coughed but laughed and buried her face into Cass' hair.

"Erin" Dwayne warned from beside them. Erin abruptly let Cass go and backed away into Dwayne's arms. Cass frowned.

"What's wrong?" She questioned to no one in particular.

"We're unsure of your hunger" David spoke for the group

"Hunger? I mean I guess I'm kind of hungry" she shrugged and thought, "yeah a cheeseburger sounds nice" she mused aloud, nodding her head when she realized that's exactly what she wanted.

"A… a cheeseburger?" Paul scoffed, sounding confused and a little angry.

"What have you got against cheeseburgers?" she accused, whirling to face the crazy blonde.

"Nothing, nothing! Just figured you would be craving something else" he held his hands up and shrugged.

"Why would you figure that?" she asked puzzled

"What do you remember Cassandra?" Marko finally spoke, stepping away from his previous leaning placement against the wall.

"I remember you, you were crying. I don't remember much else" she gave him a beaming smile and started towards him. His jaw clenched and he shook his head violently before speeding out of the cave. Cass stopped half way from where Marko had previously been standing, a frown taking over her features.

"Ok, can someone tell me why he's mad this time?" she yelled, whirling to give a glare at anyone who met her eyes. The only ones willing to look at her were David and Paul, though Paul's eyes would linger away every so often. Erin wouldn't look at her, choosing instead to bury her face into Dwayne's arm, and Dwayne chose to look at David.

"I think that task will be appointed Paul. You two have much to discuss. Paul." David barked, gesturing to start talking.

Paul smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck "you see Cass.. Cassandra, you're not really the same" he finished and it made her even more confused than before. She knew she wasn't the same, she could tell. But she figured it was from almost dying, or dying. Then again she felt better than she should have, especially considering the wounds she had been given. She looked down to her arm, where a once long jagged open line of blood lay, was now merely an angry red line, completely closed up. Her head shot up.

"Explain in greater detail Paul" she gritted out

"Well you died Cass.. We didn't know what else to do" he looked away from her then.

"We? What did you do?" She yelled

"We're gonna….go" Dwayne jabbed a finger over his shoulder towards the entrance and took off quickly with Erin in tow. Cass watched them go, fire blazing in her eyes.

"You leaving to?" she swirled to glare at David.

"No. I think I'll find more entertainment right here tonight" he smiled sarcastically and encouraged Paul further. Paul grumbled incoherently before exhaling loudly.

"You're a vampire, Cass. Well a half one" he confirmed. It didn't register that he had said anything at all at first, her thoughts bouncing around quickly. She had many questions, how, who, what, when, the usual. She went to voice these thoughts, but instead screamed "WHAT!" and then she was sprinting at Paul. Who had half a second to register that Cass was in fact running full speed at him, and he had absolutely no escape, and that David was laughing, before she pounced on him.

 _Marko_

He walked on the beach, kicking sand angrily and hating his life. Never before had he hated his life, but this was unfair. He wanted to be there for her, but he didn't know how. David was unsure of who her actual sire was, and until then he was allotting the title to Paul of all people. After he almost watched her die, and after mulling over Paul's words of resentment, he didn't know how to be around her. He did feel guilty, and he definitely blamed himself. Perhaps it was better that he stayed away from her, after all he hurt her more than helped her in the 6 days that he had known her. 6 days felt like a damn lifetime but was more like a blink to them, still they had been through so much already. He didn't know if he or she could handle any more hardships.

His thoughts got darker and he started wishing he had never met the blue eyed, now brunette girl. His life would be easier, and she would still be living her life like she always had. He was used to fucking up things, it was in his nature. He had never been a regretful person, nor did he ever want to turn back time to fix something. But now? He wished he had never met Cassandra.

 _Erin_

Erin walked along the beach with Dwayne right by her side. His presence was both comforting, but also nerve wracking. He comforted her because he normally remained silent and she could get lost in her own thoughts without any one interrupting her. She really needed to figure out the next plan of action, because she didn't know if her or Cass could go back to their boring lives in Washington. She had seen and learned too much. And now Cass was something else, she was no longer the shut off human she used to be.

Nerve wracking because he was cute, obviously. But also because they had this weird connection that neither of them talked about. It's like they were just stuck in this awkward position that neither of them knew how to talk about, let alone find a way out of it.

"What are you thinking about?" Dwayne's deep voice came from beside her, she jumped not expecting him to talk.

"A lot. Mostly about Cassandra, home, and you." she replied honestly.

"Tell me more" he grabbed her wrist to effectively stop her from walking further. He abruptly sat and pulled Erin to join him on the sand. She sighed and mulled over her words before speaking them.

"Well, for Cass. She's never been an open person, in fact I don't know much about her. Her past anyways, I know she isn't originally from Washington like me, but that's practically it. She handles stressful situations quite well, but I don't think she's going to handle this well at all. I don't think either of us are going to be able to go back home and just forget about all of this." she shrugged and stopped talking, sighing and thinking more.

"Cassandra will not be able to go back with you" Dwayne stated and Erin's eyes instantly met his.

"What do you mean she won't be able to?" Erin sputtered

"Cassandra will be a vampire Erin, she cannot remain a half for very long or she will die. She cannot just go back to being human, she will die. Once she has completed the change, she will no longer be able to go into the light. Sunlights burns and kills us, so her home must be the cave. Paul is her sire, and she needs to remain close to him, and he to her. Marko is her mate, and being apart would drive them both mad, no matter what either of them say." he grabbed her hand then and stroked the back of it. His words made sense but dread filled up her entire body.

"So I have to go back on my own?" she asked in a small voice, hugging herself the best she could.

"If you want to, though you could stay here if you'd like"

"Would you want me to stay here?" she asked, looking away from him. He didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I would especially like if you were to stay. And I know the others would like that as well, they have already accepted you." he tilted her chin towards him, looking into her eyes once again. His words caused her heart to thump wildly. "Now what were you thinking about me for?" he gave her a rare smile and quirked a brow up. She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"I can show you better than I could tell you." she whispered before leaning up and attaching her lips to his, finally.

"I think I like that much better" he whispered against her lips, diving down to place his lips on hers again, pushing her backwards onto the sand. Good, she thought. She knew neither of them were good with words, so this was an effective way of speaking.

 _Cass_

She had pinned Paul to the couch effortlessly, she was stunned at first, and then smug at the look on his face. She raised her brows, prompting him to speak further.

"Jesus Cass, that hurts!" he pouted, trying to push her off lightly. Her grip increased and she gave him a glare.

"Fine fine! Devil woman!" she smiled proudly at the nickname. "We all got there and Marko and I found you downstairs. You were covered in blood, sitting in a puddle of it" he swallowed thickly and shook his head to erase the thoughts "you weren't breathing. Marko gave you his blood at first, but it wasn't working. He almost bled out from giving you so much. He couldn't give you anymore so I took it upon myself to give you mine. Almost immediately you took to it and started drinking it on your own. We don't know if it just took you awhile to come to after dying, or it was solely my blood that awakened you." he took a deep breath and she let him go, leaning back on the couch and thinking over his words.

"So I definitely died?" she frowned

"Definitely" Paul confirmed

"And Marko is mad because?" she questioned

Paul looked at David then. David shrugged and gave him a look that read 'you're on your own buddy' Paul groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face.

"When you turn someone, they immediately feel attached to you. And you to them. It creates a bond that is almost virtually unbreakable. That's why Marko's mad, because he knows that we're going to be protective over each other and he thinks you're going to want me more that him." he looked away and clenched his jaw.

"But Marko says that we are mates?"

"You are. Which is why I think his blood didn't work. That would be too much connection." he looked at her again and frowned.

"So why would I pick anyone over him?" she cocked her head

"I can answer that." David spoke up from his wheelchair. "The bond is strong with a sire and his child. You will both be protective and will seek comfort whenever possible from each other. You will know each other's thoughts, feel their feelings and overall be incredibly connected to the other."

"He's afraid my connection with Paul will outweigh my connection to him?" she summed up.

"Essentially." David clarified

"He's an idiot" she scoffed

David chuckled but shook his head, "don't underestimate the sire bond. It will have you doing things you never thought possible."

She gulped and stole a glance a Paul who was already looking at her.

"What do you think in all of this?" she questioned

"I think that things are going to get messy, but I don't regret saving your life. I would do it again with the same outcome. I wish Marko wasn't so stubborn but he's always been like that."

She nodded "so how do I become a full vampire?" she asked to no one in particular. No one answered her and she looked from Paul, who was looking at David. David was looking at Paul, the two engaged in a silent conversation. They both looked at her and then immediately looked away.

"Hello?" she waved her hands. Paul groaned and got up, pacing large steps away from Cass. She didn't like that one bit.

"You must feed" he stated bluntly

"Feed?" she mumbled the word

"Yes feed. Off of a human. Take their blood, kill them." he nodded.

"WHAT!" she yelled, chasing Paul who had already begun to run out of the cave.


	11. xi

(I rewatched Lost Boys last night, inspiration came back, and I'm even more obsessed with Marko)

 _Paul_

Paul couldn't remember a time last when he was actually scared, let alone frightened. And he was, right now. Because Cassandra was chasing him, her short legs propelling her much faster than he would have ever thought. So he was running, and he hadn't run in so long he almost forgot how to. But here he was sprinting out of the cave and up the stairs, fully preparing to jump on his bike and get the hell out of dodge.

"Paul you little shit!" Cass yelled from her current position, which was the middle of the staircase. She was coming for him still, but not as quickly. Yeah, he should have flew on out of here. Why hadn't he thought of that? He could hear David full blown laughing in his head and it took everything in him not to growl at his leader.

'I have never.. Hahah run!' David's words were jumbled, and Paul liked to think he was reasonably intelligent on the English language, but he couldn't seem to string the pieces of the needed puzzle to form what all David was trying to say. So he ignored him.

He threw a leg over his bike, catching the gas and making his bike rumble to life. It was then that David stopped laughing, 'you must stay with her. She is yours to teach' David huffed out, clearly still not quite over his laughing fit.

'But..she' She was going to kill him, no doubt. 'No buts, she goes with you' he finalized and Paul wondered how he had gotten such rotten luck. He had been a reasonably good person, he liked to think. He didn't steal too much from people, and he didn't smoke nearly as much weed as he used to, all of those combining into a solid kind of ok person. He didn't deserve to die yet, did he?

"Paul!" Cass huffed, stopping at the edge of the staircase, bending over and resting her hands on her knees, out of breath. She tried speaking, but all that came out were puffs of air and then her trying to gulp some oxygen back in. He wasn't the only one that hadn't ran in awhile it seemed.

"You ok there Cass?" he questioned

"No, I hate running!" she exclaimed, "and I hate you for making me run!" she added in, finally standing up straight.

"I did not make you run! You ran all by yourself!" he argued. She huffed again and narrowed her eyes. "I mean you ran because I ran" he offered.

Her lips lifted up in a smile, a real one, and his chest felt funny. "Good, you're learning." she clapped. "Now please tell me you were joking" her smile dropped and his chest ached more. He closed his eyes tightly, he hated this part when he was turned, he knew she would to. She had already died, but at least she still had the human left inside of her. The compassion and heart, because after she made her first kill, she would lose a lot of it. Her humanity would cease to exist, after awhile. He still struggled with his heart, it made him think irrationally at times and being the youngest made it harder for the other boys to understand his feelings. He didn't want that for her, he knew none of the boys did. But they couldn't go back now, not when she alive, so to speak.

"Yes Cassandra. I was being serious. You must feed" he spoke tightly, crushing his hands into fists.

"And if I don't?" she questioned

"Then you die" he spoke truthfully

"So either way I die?" she asked, a sad look covering her face.

"It's not like that!" he argued

"Isn't it?" she sighed, but got on the back of his bike nonetheless. How had it been a few nights ago that they were like this, just meeting, and her human. How had so much changed?

"The last time I was like this was when we first met" she mused aloud, reading his thoughts.

"I was just thinking about that too" he patted her hand and they both came to wrap around his torso.

"You were?" she asked surprised

"Yeah, and how much has changed" he confirmed

"That's the night that Marko told me to stay away from you, from all of you. Because you guys were dangerous." she sighed unhappily and his body stiffened.

"He wasn't wrong, but he's also an idiot." he said, finally shoving his bike forward to whip towards the boardwalk. Cass sat in silence behind him, taking everything in unlike last time. He could practically hear her gears turning in her head, a million thoughts rushing through her mind all at once. Most of her thoughts led back to Marko, which he knew they always would. They pulled up and he stopped, parking his bike next to the others and kicking out the kick stand. She hopped off and then he followed, staring at her and waiting for her next move.

"How do I…" she struggled for words "how do I do this?" she finally asked

"I'll show you. It's not that bad, once you get used to it" his tone had lightened and he was trying to be reassuring, another first.

"Ok" she nodded and took his hand, squeezing it tightly, clearly nervous.

"Cass it's going to be ok, I promise" he squeezed her hand back and gave her a small smile, one she had thankfully returned. She nodded and followed after him at a better pace than the previous one she had. He led her down to a secluded part of the beach, only one fire was raging, and only 2 people were sitting around it. Perfect. He stopped and wrapped an arm tightly around Cass' shoulders, pointing at the couple.

"Oh my God" she gulped

 _Cass_

Could she do this? Could she really just go up and...bite one of these people? Did she have to kill them? Couldn't she just bite them a little? She voiced all of these questions out loud in a hurried tone, barely taking a breath in between her rushed questions.

Paul stared at her for a second, unsure of how to answer before "yes you have to kill them Cass. You won't be able to stop, and I won't stop. It's better and easier this way, trust me ok?" he ran a hand through her hair, effectively making her relax against his gentle touches. She felt like crying, and she felt selfish. She had to end another life just so she could keep hers, how was that fair? She was meant to die when she was captured, it wasn't fair that she had a second chance.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Paul grabbed her shoulders roughly, causing her to look up at him. "Don't think like that! It will destroy you!" he seethed, tightening his hold on her to emphasize his point.

"Ok! Ok! You're hurting me!" she shouted, trying to pry his hands off of her. The couple they had previously been staring at turned to look in the general direction they were in, but from their current position they were practically invisible.

"Sorry. Don't think like that" he scolded, rubbing his hands over her shoulders to dull the ache he had caused.

"Ok" she breathed out harsly, "let's do this" she nodded and rubbed her hands together.

"That's the spirit" he beamed at her. "Watch me, and then join in when you feel like it." he gave her a reassuring smile before he abruptly disappeared. Cass let out a surprised shriek, turning in all directions to look for him, before finally realizing her was above her, not on the ground. She gulped when she spotted him, stalking towards his prey.

She wasn't going to have to fly right? Heights didn't exactly sit well with her, and Marko was lucky she was passed out when she did, or she probably would have thrown up on him. Thinking of Marko confused her, she wondered where he was. Then she furrowed her eyebrows when she realized she didn't really care where he was, not after everything that had happened, not after what he said. He left without giving her an explanation, and she was so past over his childish attitude it wasn't even funny.

She was torn out of her thoughts when she heard 2 screams ring out into the night, her eyes jumping up to see the couple. They had spotted Paul, just as he landed in front of them. They backed away and began to run away, only Paul was faster. He latched onto the guys arm, pulling it back until she heard a snap, and then both of the people screamed again. She vaguely heard the guy telling his girlfriend to run, because all she could see, feel, taste was the blood that was dripping down the guys neck from Paul's claws latching into it. The girl came running towards her, not seeing her at first until Cass stepped out from behind the seclusion of her tree.

"Oh my god! Help, my boyfriend he needs help!" she shouted, plowing into Cass. She stopped the girl by putting her hands on her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she faked innocence

"My boyfriend! Some guy attacked him!" the girl cried. Cass wanted to feel bad, but all she could hear was the girls heartbeat, and how nice she smelled.

"Where?" she questioned, grabbing the girl by the hand

"There!" the girl pointed and Cass drug her along

"I'll help!" Cass offered suggestively

"How are you going to help? You're small" the girl argued, trying to get out of her grip, "we need to find real help" she yanked again

"Your boyfriend will be dead by then!" Cass yelled

"How do you know that?" the girl stopped pulling and looked at Cass, fear in her eyes.

"Because look!" Cass pointed to the fire, Paul had the man by the throat. He was missing an arm, and was fighting death. The girl screamed and Cass grabbed her by her throat abruptly then, causing the girl to cough harshly.

"Please stop screaming" she barked

The girl let out a small whimper "in fact, no noises at all!" Cass warned, dragging the girl over towards Paul who dropped the now deceased man on the ground.

"Now what?" She asked him

"Feed Cass" he demanded

Her eyes flashed a brilliant yellow then, and he flashed his at hers.

"What are you guys!?" The woman screeched, digging her nails into Cass' hand.

"Would it be cliche if I said your worst nightmare?" Paul questioned, raising a brow at Cass.

"Yes" she answered honestly, before throwing the girl to the ground. The girl screamed again, only a short one before Cass had sunk her teeth into her throat. The woman let out a gurgle before coughing, and then going still as Cass drank deeply from her. Bringing the girl closer to her and getting all of the blood out of her that she could.

"She's dead Cass, you drained her" Paul mentioned, pulling her back lightly from the corpse. Cass snapped out of her daze, staring at the woman with wide eyes.

"I killed her" it wasn't a question, but she still needed to be told that she did, or she wouldn't believe it. "I killed her" she repeated

"Yes you did. And it's ok" Paul reassured her

"How is that ok? She's dead" she trembled

"Yes, but you're alive" he reasoned

"But.." she stopped speaking, her throat closing up. Paul brought her in, rocking her gently back and forth on the sand as she sobbed. She heard clapping before David, Dwayne, and Marko came down off of a sand hill.

"Bravo Cassandra. An excellent show you put on" David laughed, stopping when he got a few feet away from her. Marko and Dwayne stopping just behind him. Marko stared at her with an unreadable expression and it made her angry. She wasn't sad, she was angry. She heard Paul mumble an 'uh oh' before she leaped up, pointing an accusing finger at Marko.

"You asshole!" she cried, being pulled back into Paul's arms suddenly.

Marko looked taken aback, his mouth opening and closing a multitude of times.

"You did this! You selfish bastard! You should have stayed away! Instead you kept coming around, you made me like you. You hurt me and then come back and confuse me, have sex with me, and then hurt me all over again!" she accused. She ignored the way Paul's body stiffened at the information, clearly angry.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen Cassandra!" he yelled back, completely frustrated now.

"No you just planned to abandon me. To just send me packing back home before all of this happened. You would have let me go and not have thought twice about it!" she seethed, shaking in Paul's arms.

"That's not true. I think about you every day Cassandra, that wouldn't have changed when you left. In fact it would have been worse!" he defended, crossing his arms.

"But yet you still abandon me when I wake up! You didn't explain shit!" she seethed

"I couldn't! Your Paul's!" he screamed back, "I can't help you" he spoke in a quieter voice, his head dropping.

"Yes you can!" she sobbed, slumping against Paul's arms.

"How?" he questioned, still not looking at her.

"Be here for me. Be my friend" she begged, and he flinched.

"I can't be just your friend Cass" he whispered

She sighed, contemplating on what to say. "Let's go back to the cave. We'll all talk there" Dwayne suggested. Everyone nodded except for Marko and Cassandra. They all walked back towards the boardwalk and their bikes quietly, all lost in thought. Paul kept a tight hold on Cass, who was leaning against him heavily. She was drained; physically, emotionally, and mentally. Paul got on and she followed him quickly, wanting nothing more than to go to bed.

"Are you guys taking me home?" she asked

"No. You can't go home" David spoke

"What? Why not?" her head snapped up to look at him

"Because you're one of us now. Which means you stay with us" he shrugged and took off, the others racing after him.

"Plus the sun will kill you" Paul added in

"Great" Cass muttered back, burying her face into Paul's shoulder.

 _Marko_

He looked over and saw Cass with her head buried in Paul's shoulder, the sight had him clenching his fists tightly. He hated this. He hated this so much. He wanted to be there for her, but he just didn't know how. He'd never been in this position before, he had never really cared about someone before. He was losing her, if he hadn't lost her already. He knew that, he just didn't know how to stop it. Cass lifted her head briefly, looking at her surroundings before her eyes found Marko. They stared at each other, before she gave him a sad smile, one he returned before she looked away again. They pulled up, parking their bikes as one. Paul helped Cass off of his bike and down the stairs, Marko felt another pang of jealousy and tried to stomp it down. It didn't work.

Once they were all settled in their respective spots for the night no one spoke for awhile.

"How old are you guys?" Cass finally wondered aloud

"I was 20 when I was turned" David started off

"So how old are you now?" Cass questioned before anyone else could answer.

"Including my 20 years of human life I'm 126." he said proudly. Cass' eyes widened, clearly not expecting him to be so old. "106 vampire years"

"I was 21" Dwayne spoke next, "and with my human life plus my vampire life, I'm 96. For vampire years, I'm 75" Dwayne grinned at her, and Cass gave him a small smile back.

"I was 19" Paul offered when Marko said nothing "I'm the youngest vampire, though Marko was the youngest human" Cass' eyes widened "I'm technically 50 though. I've only been a vampire for 31 years" he smiled but Cass could only focus on the fact that he said Marko was younger than 19.

"How old are you!?" she questioned, a horrified look crossing her face. He had dreaded the question for so long. He knew it was coming, but he was still not prepared.

"I uh.." he scratched his neck, "I was 17"

"What!" Cass sputtered, "I'm a pedophile!" she yelled

"Just because I was 17 doesn't mean I still am" he grumbled, "I'm older than Paul! I'm 68" he defended

"17" she repeated, lost in a different world

"17 no longer" he clarified

"You look 17" she argued

"You like the way I look. You call me hot all the time" he argued back

She didn't have much to say after that. "Well now that we got that out of the way!" David clapped, causing Cass to jump. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Like what?" she mumbled, resting her chin in her palm. He thought she looked cute like that.

"You're a vampire now" she cringed a small bit "and we have rules"

"So you guys just don't do whatever you want? Party all night, sleep all day?" she teased. He wished he could make her smile more, he loved her smile. She abruptly turned to look at him, a frown on her face.

"You do?" she questioned

"You heard that?" he asked baffled, looking at David. He merely shrugged.

"Her bond must be stronger than we anticipated." he stared at her, his eyes concentrating. She was looking around the cave, not noticing anything. "Did you hear that?" David questioned, cocking his head to the side.

"Hear what?" she questioned, meeting his eyes. He frowned and sat back "Dwayne you try" he gestured for him to try and Dwayne looked at her, sending her thoughts. They could all hear, but she remained staring at him confused.

"Ok, why are you guys staring at me like that?" she questioned, eyes darting to look at all of them.

"You can't hear David or Dwayne's thoughts" Paul confirmed

"No, should I?" her tone took one of fear.

"Not yet. Listen for mine" she nodded and looked at him. She stared before rolling her eyes and letting out a small laugh.

"I hate you" she grinned and he grinned back. Marko growled lowly, narrowing his eyes at their conversation. Paul growled back, David telling them both to shut up. Paul laughed then before sending a wink to Marko "chill dude"

"So you can hear both Marko and Paul, but not Dwayne or I. Interesting" David mused, rubbing his chin and leaning back.

"Is that bad?" she questioned again

"No. But it definitely means that both of their blood is in your veins. It will take longer to get on the same spectrum as us, but you will with time." Marko stiffened.

"She's mine too?" he mumbled, eyes hopeful.

"I believe so. But I think she is more Paul's." Davin nodded, Marko didn't care. As long as she was partly his, he was happy.

"What else did you need to tell me?" Cass chirped

"Right! Rules!" David started "Rule number 1, you must stay here during the day. The sun will burn you alive, and you don't have to sleep with us, you can sleep in the bed you woke up from. Rule number 2, for the time being you hunt with one of us, you do not hunt alone, understand?" he raised a brow, when she nodded, he continued. "Rule number 3, which isn't really a rule but a command, you stay here with us, forever. Or until we decide to leave. You can't go back home. Rule number 4, you can't speak to anyone about us or what we are. Aside from Erin, who already knows." Cass nodded again, not seeming the least bit upset at not being able to go home.

"Do I at least get to go back and get some of my things?" she questioned

David leaned back, thinking. "Yes you may do so. Some of us will accompany you though, for obvious reasons. We will fly there, driving there and back will take too long." Cass gulped at the information.

"You'll get used to it. I didn't like heights either" Dwayne spoke up.

Marko was happy everyone had welcomed her in. But he could tell Cass was struggling with all of this.

"Anything wrong with that?" David asked

"Do I get to have some of my freedom? At least soon when you can figure out if you can trust me or not?"

"Yes you will have your own freedom soon" he confirmed and Cass' mood immediately brightened. "Now, I'm going to bed. Good night Cassandra, boys" he nodded and stalked off towards their sleeping quarters.

"I'm gonna head to bed too" Dwayne followed David. That left Paul, Cassandra and Marko all sitting there awkwardly.

"Can I talk to you Cassandra?" Marko finally broke the silence. She seemed to mull it over, looking from Paul to Marko, back to Paul who nodded and got up, going to follow David and Dwayne.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, bringing her arms around her knees.

"Everything. I want to start over" he started

"Start over?" she echoed

"Yes start over. Act like we never met. Restart, I want to do this right. I want to make you fall for me, the way normal people do. I want to take you on dates, and be nervous to hold your hand. I want to walk next to you with my arm around you, I want to be the one that makes you smile the most. I want to kiss you when the time is right. And I want to take things slow. I want to prove to you that I can be the man that you deserve." he breathed heavily, incredibly scared of her answer. She thought about it for a long time, biting on her lip gently.

"Man? You're 17!" she mocked, his head lifted up to glare at her, only to realize she was close to laughing. She was teasing him.

"Baby you know I'm not 17 deep down" he lunged then, tackling her down onto the couch. She shrieked, trying to dodge his hands which were rapidly tickling her in spots. He never thought he would enjoy tickling someone, but he did. He loved seeing her laugh.

"Stop!" she breathed, laughing still.

"Not until you admit I'm a man!" he laughed back, finding another ticklish spot. She was uncontrollably giggling now, and the sight had his heart soaring a million miles away.

"Ok! Ok!" she laughed "You're a man!" she giggled again and he stopped tickling her. Leaning back to give her a smug look. "That's what I thought." he nodded, proud of himself.

"I'm still older than you" she stuck her tongue out at him and he grabbed her chin. Wanting nothing more than to put her tongue to good use, but he was taking things slow, he would do that for her. A blush coated her cheeks, obviously hearing his thoughts.

"You don't act like it" he stuck his tongue back out at her and she was laughing again. She stopped and gazed at him, before letting out a yawn.

"You should go to bed, you've had a long day." he stroked her face and released her. She frowned but nodded nonetheless. "You going to bed?" she asked

"Nah, not yet. I will soon" he smiled and got up, strolling to the edge of the room to pick up a pigeon.

"Ok, goodnight Marko" she murmured, getting up and making her way down the hall. He watched her, wanting to follow her but knowing he couldn't. He knew they were semi ok, but it would take a lot to get them where he wanted them to be.

 _Cass_

She followed the tunnel down to where she knew her room was. Her thoughts lingering on Marko. He was different than he had ever been, honest and playful. She liked that side of him. She wished he showed it more.

She wished he had kissed her. She stopped then, confused as to where the thought came from. But she couldn't get the image of him kissing her out of her brain so she turned suddenly, making her way back towards the main entrance.

"Marko!" she breathed once she caught sight of him, still standing in the same spot, lost in thought.

"Huh?" he mumbled, turning to look at her. His pigeon flying to the top of the cave. "What's wrong?" his brow furrowed when he saw the look on her face. She took several long steps to reach him, standing almost chest to chest with him. She looked up, grabbing the back of his neck and stood on tiptoes to give him a light kiss. She lingered with his lips on hers for a couple of seconds before breaking away and stepping back.

"What was that for?" he asked, touching his lips.

"I don't know. You're cute, good night" she smiled and turned on her heel, heading back towards her room, her smile not leaving once.

'Sweet dreams Cassandra' she heard spoken inside of her head. She fell asleep to the feeling of his lips on hers, and the hope that someday they would be ok.

Little did she know though, that Paul was still awake as he hung upside down. The monster known as jealously raging in his entire body. He had heard and seen everything. And he was more mad than he liked to admit.


	12. xii

_Erin_

The first thing Erin did when she woke up was trot into Cassandra's room, and like the previous day, she forgot her friend wasn't in there. She stopped at the threshold and stared into the room, bed still made and clothes strewn about haphazardly. To this day Erin would never understand why Cass made her bed every morning, but leave her room an absolute mess. Something about, doing something early in the morning made her feel better? Erin thought that getting up and going to the bathroom was doing just enough. Plus, she didn't see how Cass made her bed without tripping over the multiple articles of clothing laying around. Erin wasn't a bed maker, but she certainly was a picker-upper. She started picking up her friend's clothes, throwing the dirty ones into a pile, and folding the clean ones neatly into her suitcase. She didn't know when she would see Cass again, but she knew she was going to need clothes. Especially with her new..appetite. Erin knew she was stalling, knew she was just trying to make up excuses to not pack her own bags to head out. Because instead of the 2 girls going back home together, Erin was going back alone. She didn't know what she was going to tell Danny, not that he really needed an explanation, but still.

She didn't know if she could leave without saying goodbye, but she didn't feel she fit in anymore. Before, they were both human. Then Cass met Marko, and now Cass wasn't entirely human. And while Erin had this unspoken connection with Dwayne she wasn't sure he actually wanted her with them, or he just said it to be polite. Plus, she was sure she would have to be turned and she didn't know if that's what she wanted. Sure, she wanted to still be around Cass, and Dwayne. But she liked the sun, and not living in a cave.

Erin almost regretted suggesting the 2 girls to vacation here, but she knew somehow Cass and Marko would find each other, they were destined afterall. Erin couldn't help but feel bad though, Cass had almost died and had been on an emotional roller coaster, all for her to gain some sleep and immortality. She didn't think that was exactly a fair trade. Erin shook her head before her thoughts went deeper than she wanted them too and finished picking up Cass' room. Then set out to clean her things out of the bathroom. Once she was finished and everything was packed neatly into the girls suitcase, she set out to do the very same thing with her things. She took more time with her things, stalling again without realizing it. She had just finished up the last of her packing when a loud knock echoed throughout the house. Erin jumped violently, lost in thought over folding the shirt in her hands perfectly. She looked out her window and noticed in was evening. She didn't know how it was possible, but she spent an entire 6 hours cleaning and packing.

A knock sounded again and Erin sighed before lifting herself up, the bones in her knees cracking against the sudden weight. Erin did a slight stretch before thumping down the stairs. A knock sounded again "Jesus, I'm coming" she yelled, untwisting the lock and swinging open the front door. Only to be immediately plowed into and butt down on the floor. She groaned in both pain and annoyance, spitting out a lock of dark hair.

"You could have just hello!" Erin grumbled, squeezing her friend.

"Hello!" Cass chirped, finally getting up and helping the blonde to her feet.

"Why'd you have to knock me down?" Erin questioned, rubbing her sore bottom.

"Sorry, an accident. I don't know my own strength yet." the girl shrugged and gave her a shy smile.

"Yeah yeah. Warn a girl next time. I'll put a cushion down or something!" Erin glared

"Sorry! Just excited to see you I guess. It sucks only spending time with men" Cass spit the word men out and she heard a bike roar before the sound took off. Erin raised an eyebrow and gave Cass a look, "was Paul" Cass said simply, shooting up the stairs to her room. However, she froze once she got there.

"I've been robbed!" Cass cried from the stairs, Erin frowned jogging up the stairs to where Cass was standing.

"Robbed?" Erin questioned

"Yes all of my stuff went poof!" Cass exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger towards her room when all of her belongings were no longer sitting.

"Oh!" Erin huffed, "I packed your things" Erin reassured the girl

Cass swirled around with a questioning look "why would you do that?"

"Because I knew you were going to need your things" Erin shrugged if off. Absolutely not telling her I was planning on leaving without saying goodbye, only leaving a note. Cass gasped and glanced up in shock at Erin. Cass' bottom lip quivered slightly.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" Cass whispered

"What! How? You can't do that!" Erin fumed, pointing a finger at Cass.

"You can't leave without saying goodbye!" Cass yelled, pointing a finger back at her.

"And why not?" Erin crossed her arms

"Because you're my best friend!" Cass cried "And Dwayne would be devastated!" she added in. Erin froze.

"No he would not be" Erin shook her head

"Yes he would be!" Cass argued

"How do you know that? Did you read his mind?" she questioned

"Well no. But I don't need too" cass smiled smugly.

"You're annoying. Go shower!" Erin groaned, going to her friends suitcase to pull out her bathroom supplies, shoving them and then her into the bathroom.

"Fine, but only because I stink. But don't think this conversation is over, not by a long shot buddy!" Cass promised, shutting the door after her threat. Erin groaned and went downstairs to make spaghetti. Could Cass even eat spaghetti, could the others? Should she make enough for all of them? A family dinner before she left?

Erin trotted back up the stairs and to the bathroom, opening the door. Her mouth opened "Yes I can eat spaghetti, and yes the others can. They'll be here soon!" Cass sang, laughing at the jumbled thoughts running through Erin's mind.

"I hate you!" Erin griped, flushing the toilet for no reason so the water would run cold, slamming the door after doing so.

"Hey that was rude!" Cass accused, though the girl started singing again immediately after. At least she hadn't lost her teasing attitude Erin thought and then once again started making dinner. A lot of dinner. Once showered and cleaned up, Cass joined Erin down stairs and started to help.

"Oh my God!" Cass shrieked unexpectedly, causing Erin to let a slight scream.

"What! What is it? Kill it with fire!" Erin shrieked back, looking all over for the cruel object that made Cass scream.

"Kill what? With what fire?" Cass shot back, eyes darting around to look for the threat.

"The insect!" Erin retorted, looking at Cass like she was crazy.

"Gah what insect!" Cass jumped back, suddenly alert.

"What do you mean what insect? The one you screamed about!" Erin yelled

"Oh!" Cass slumped her shoulders and began laughing "I didn't see an insect!" Cass started laughing again.

"Then why the fuck did you scream!?" Erin bit out furiously

"Can I not have garlic now?" Cass questioned with a pout

"Are you… are you serious!?" Erin screamed

"What? It's a serious question. You know I always eat 3 pieces of garlic toast with my spaghetti!" Cass spoke in a duh tone.

Erin's mouth flopped open, staring incredulously at the girl before resuming her cooking. Not bothering to answer the others girls question.

"Yes!" Cass fist pumped the air and shot a triumph grin at Erin who jumped slightly at the sudden noise.

"What now?" Erin grumbled

"Garlic doesn't affect us and I can eat as much as I like!" Cass nodded and set out to make the toast.

"And pray tell how you figured that out?" Erin questioned

"I asked Marko" Cass shrugged and popped the toast down into the toaster. Erin whirled around to look for said boy.

"Wait a minute, how? I didn't hear you ask him, where is he?" Erin's eyes darted around, half expecting the curly haired boy to jump out from nowhere. Cass just tapped her head as if that was answer enough and began putting butter on the toast.

"That's fucking weird don't do that around me" Erin groaned frustrated

"And you aren't weird?" Cass countered

"Not the point" Erin argued

"But it is true" Cass laughed

"Shut up" Erin grumbled, only to start laughing when Cass did too. It was then that 4 loud knocks, one after the other sounded through their laughter.

"Shit!" Erin yelped, staring wide eyed at Cass who also looked shocked.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Erin accused

"You told me not to do that anymore. Plus, I didn't know" Cass shrugged happily and answered the door with a smile, letting the boys in.

Erin's eyes were immediately drawn to Dwayne who left his leather jacket at home and decided on a black tight fitting t-shirt.

Holy hell.

Dwayne smirked at her and she had never wanted to die more.

"Do you like the shirt?" Dwayne flexed a small bit and Erin's eyes zeroed in on the movement.

"It's tight" Erin shrugged and spun around, missing the surprised look that crossed over Dwayne's face.

"Hahah, I told you man!" Paul laughed, thumping his brother on the back.

"Shut up" Dwayne growled, coming up behind Erin unexpectedly and whispering in her ear "do you really not like the shirt?" he breathed into her ear and her knees wobbled.

"Uhhmmm" she drawed, not meeting his eyes. She felt him smirk against her shoulder, a soft kiss being laid there before he turned and left.

"Cass!" Erin squealed, and immediately the girl got up from the couch and joined Erin at the counter.

"Did he?" Cass started "Yeah" Erin finished

"Aha! Told you he would be mad if you left today without saying anything!" Cass smirked in satisfaction before freezing. The whole room went quiet, said for Erin's harsh intake of breath.

"Haha, oops. I'll finish the toast. How many do you boys want?" Cass questioned, shooting a nervous smile to Erin who merely gave her a sideways glance. Not daring to move.

"Erin" Dwayne growled and Erin winced.

"Cass, keep an eye on this.. I have to…. pee" Erin finished before bolting up the stairs.

She heard Dwayne follow after her and she groaned

"Erin!" Dwayne called again, stopping her in her tracks. He came by and grabbed her elbow, leading her into her room and shut the door.

"Hey what's up?" Erin smiled brightly, or tried to.

"Don't what's up me. What was Cass talking about?" Dwayne got straight to the point.

"Oh just Cass being Cass" she shrugged it off. Or I really was planning on leaving and I just wasn't going to tell you guys, she thought.

"Don't lie to me" Dwayne growled, and Erin was once again reminded that her thoughts weren't safe. And she hated it.

"Fine I was going to leave" she huffed

"Why?"

"Because it's time for me to go home" she reasoned

"You don't want to stay?" he questioned in a small voice and Erin wanted to kick herself for making him sound so unlike himself.

"I...I don't know" she sighed

"Can I help you?" he asked as he looked down at her.

"How could you help me?"

He didn't answer with words, he simply kissed her. A bruising kiss that Erin felt down to her bones, she locked her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer and he groaned at the contact.

"I want you to stay" he breathed and dove in for another kiss, leaving Erin breathless and dizzy.

"You do?" she found herself asking

"Yes, you're mine" he reasoned and kissed her again, bringing her into his arms and hugging her tight.

"Mine" he echoed again.

 _Cass_

"So what did you kill with fire?" David questioned with a raised eyebrow "and what does that even mean? Do you have a blowtorch that I don't know about?" his face became even more confused and Cass laughed at it.

"Erin thought there was an insect and the only safe and logical way to kill one is through fire" Cass justified

"Yeah, your definition of 'safe' and 'logical' are stunningly different from mine" David shook his head with a what the hell look.

"Not if it's a big hairy spider like the one on your shoulder!" Cass screamed and pointed, flailing her arms and backing up.

"WHAT!" David shouted, immediately shouldering out of his coat and stomping on it. Marko and Paul came rushing in wide-eyed and looking the tiniest bit scared.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Marko demanded, watching his leader rapidly jump up and down on his coat with wide eyes.

"Big stupid ugly spider!" David growled, continuing his assault, and then stomping once more for good measure.

"Spider? Where?" Paul backed up, eyes searching for the creature. Marko backed up a little too, staring at David like he was a spider.

"No way that little fucker survived that!" David smirked triumphantly and Cass let out a snort of laughter. Before doubling over and laughing more, tears streaming down her face.

"Need fire David?" Cass questioned through another fit of laughter. David's eyes widened, and then they narrowed.

"You little shit!" David accused

"So is the spider dead?" Paul peeked out from behind Marko, Marko who hadn't noticed Paul shielding himself by using his body jumped and shuffled away from the scene.

"I'm going to kill you!" David threatened as he then started chasing Cass around the kitchen and living room, Marko bolting out of the way at the last second before Cass could plow into him, only to be knocked into by David who tried to cut her off.

"Hey! Seriously is it dead?" Paul cried, shooting a glare at David's jacket that was still on the floor.

"I don't think there ever was a spider, Paul" Marko grumbled

"What no spider? Why? CASSANDRA!" Paul screamed and then joined in the chasing of her. It was then that the Erin and Dwayne came rushing downstairs, taking in the scene with wide eyes.

"Dwayne!" Cass shouted, shooting to the stairs and hiding behind the statue. "They're trying to kill me!" she accused, peeking out at the 2 boys who were shooting daggers at her.

"Why?" he questioned

"Because of a spider!" Cass cried

"Where?" Dwayne jumped, pulling Erin into him and stepping backwards, making Cass take another step back.

"There isn't one!" David yelled, frustrated.

"Oh good!" Erin beamed and then her face fell "The spaghetti!" she shrieked causing everyone with great hearing to wince as she bounded down the stairs towards the large pot. "Cass I told you to keep an eye on it!" Erin yelled

"I was running for my life!" she justified

"Ok wait.. What?" Dwayne asked confused before looking at Marko, who seemed to be the only sensible one at the moment. Marko only smirked and then Dwayne started hysterically laughing.

"You… hahha you stomped!" Dwayne let out "your coat!" Dwayne laughed again and then both he and Cassandra were laughing.

"I hate you all!" David seethed going over to his jacket and snatching the article of clothing up.

"Hey!" Paul protested "I joined you in chasing her" he pouted

"Yes my only trust worthy companion" David sniffed and then went to the living room. Paul following behind him, Dwayne grinned and gave Cass a high five. She smiled and then went down to help Erin. Passing Marko and giving him a small smile he only rolled his eyes but gave her a smile back.

"What just happened?" Erin questioned when Cass made her way over.

"David said we weren't logical or safe when we said we wanted to kill an insect with fire, so I told him he had a big hair spider on his shoulder, and then he stomped on his coat" Cass shrugged and Erin immediately began laughing, giving a fist bump to Cass.

"Set the plates" Erin ordered, mixing the sauce with the noodles.

"Sure thing boss" Cass saluted her and began setting down the plates, and then the knives and forks. Then she went around and placed 3 pieces of garlic toast each on the plates, before going to the cabinet and grabbing cups.

"What do you guys want to drink?" she questioned before sighing "not that Paul" she grumbled when he thought of blood. Erin coughed and shot a dirty look to Paul who definitely knew what he said.

"Not that either Marko" her cheeks flamed when he said her, and he definitely wasn't thinking about blood. Paul gave Marko a glare and the younger boy only smirked back at him.

"Come eat boys!" Erin called, placing the pot down in the middle of the table. They all immediately got up and found their seats. David was at the head per usual, Dwayne to his right with Erin next to him, Cass sat at the other end, Marko to her left and then Paul to the left of David. Not looking happy he wasn't sitting next to Cass.

Marko swiped a thumb over Cass' knuckles, effectively catching her attention. She met his eyes and he whispered into her mind 'you and me tomorrow night. Date night' he smiled and her heart thumped before nodding and serving herself a helping of spaghetti.

"So Erin. Were you planning on leaving us?" David asked and Erin tensed.

"Yes I was" she answered honestly

"Why"

"Because I was going to go home"

"This isn't your home?" David questioned

"I don't know, is it?"

"Yes" Dwayne answered for everyone, "yes" Cass answered as well. Pretty soon everyone was nodding along with them.

"I didn't know that" Erin whispered

"Well now you do" David smiled and began eating again.

 _Dwayne_

He didn't know how he was able to convince Erin to stay, or maybe it wasn't just his influence but the others as well. He knew that Cass had a large part in it, and he would always be grateful for his new little sister. She brought both joy to him and his brothers lives, as well as being the perfect mate for Marko, but she also brought him Erin. And that, that was something to thank whatever God looked down on him.

He squeezed her hand and she shot him a smile, not knowing what his thoughts were.

'Do you think she is your mate?' David questioned in his mind

'I think so yeah' Dwayne answered

'You think so?' David questioned

'I mean there are a lot of signs that she is, but she hasn't had dreams I don't think' he said confused

'She doesn't have to have dreams. In fact it's not that uncommon for some mates to not have dreams' he reasoned

'So then yes she is my mate' Dwayne assured him

'Good' David smiled 'are you going to tell her?'

'I will. But I don't know how yet' he frowned

'Something tells me Cass knows, so I would say something before she explodes and tells Erin' David suggested

'How do you think she knows?'

'Cass is very intuitive. Plus I think she understands that you aren't normally….how do I say this' David mulled over his words

'Friendly' Dwayne offered

'No. Feely' David finished

'Feely?' Dwayne frowned and shot his leader an odd look

'Yes feely. You don't talk much and you don't normally give people the time of day, but you do with Erin' David clarified

'So friendly'

'Whatever' David grumbled and shut off his mind link.

Dwayne huffed out a laugh and Erin sent him a questioning look, "nothing you need to worry about right now" he whispered into her ear and gave her cheek a light peck.

"Hey we should should make every Sunday night family night!" Cass suggested

"Every night is family night" Paul frowned

"Not family dinner night!" Cass argued

"Yes it is" Paul frowned again

Dwayne groaned at the 2, he couldn't live like this. Paul was bad enough on his own, but now adding Cass to the mix was worse.

"Hey!" Paul protested and Cass looked at him

"What?" she questioned

"Dwayne's talking crap on us!" Paul accused

Oh hell.

"What?" Cass glared at him. Dwayne scrubbed a hand down his face. This was what he meant.

"Anyways. Not what I meant Paul. I mean like everyone sits at a table and uses utensils. Erin joins in. Ya know family dinner night" Cass beamed and Marko smiled at her "I agree" Marko nodded and her smiled turned to him.

"I don't see why not" David shrugged and Paul nodded happily.

"As long as you make this spaghetti Erin" and Erin quickly agreed, along with everyone else.

He sat looking around the table at his family, both old members and new. Feeling more content than he ever had, and that was because of the girl sitting next to him. He wouldn't change her or his family for the world, and he knew without a doubt he would die to protect each and every one of them.

"So was there ever a spider?" Paul questioned.


	13. xiii

(Sorry this took so long. I had a yard sale, started a new job, and had a tooth pulled, among other small things. Enjoy)

 _Erin_

The boys had been slapped with clean-up duty as the girls lounged about upstairs, Erin knew they had to leave soon and she was dreading being alone until the next night. So she settled down with Cass on her bed and sat in a comfortable silence. She could hear the boys downstairs laughing and joking, the sound of dishes clanking together reverberating off of the walls. Cass would giggle every now and then and Erin was sort of envious that she couldn't be apart of the joke.

"So you and Dwayne, huh?" Cass asked, rolling over to wiggle her eyebrows suggestively at Erin. Erin tried to suppress the groan, but failed miserably. She was dreading this conversation, solely because she didn't know what to say. And he was downstairs and most definitely listening to them talk. "Relax, I told them all to stay out of our heads." She smiled, placing her chin into her hand.

"Yeah and what about you staying out of my head?" Erin retorted, faking a glare.

"I'm your best friend, I always knew what you were thinking before, now it's just more accurate, and a little more creepy." Cass cringed and Erin let out a small laugh, falling backwards onto the bed and scrubbing her hands down her face.

"I like him Cass" she mumbled "I like him a lot" she added on, finally voicing her inner thoughts. It was good to get the revelation out in the open, but now she couldn't take them back, and that scared her.

"He likes you to" she nodded her head and began picking at the duvet.

"How do you know?" Erin asked, actually afraid that Cass had straight up asked him.

"Marko told me" she smiled at the mention of his name, and Erin was instantly reminded that Marko and Cass were actual mates, like destined to be together. And she didn't know if her and Dwayne were. Cass and Marko were so different, and fate played the largest part in bringing them together. Not only that, but Cass had previously been dreaming about him before meeting him. Erin had yet to have a single dream about Dwayne, it was sad really.

"So you and Marko?" Erin winked and wiggled her eyebrows in the same manner Cass had previously done with her. Cass rolled her eyes and let out a tremendous sigh.

"I guess" she shrugged "I like him. But we've been through so much already, it feels kind of weird to keep trying." Cass shrugged again, still unsure of her own thoughts.

"From an outsider perspective, I think Marko has a lot of growing up to do. I think he is use to one way, and he doesn't like change. Almost like he's afraid of it in a way. Do I think he could have treated you better or handled things differently? Absolutely. BUT you can't exactly fault him for not knowing how to act. He likes you a lot, that is very obvious, but he doesn't know to act on it." Erin finished, and Cass nodded along to everything she had said.

"I know. It's just hard. You know I'm not the best at letting people in." she mumbled, playing with her fingers. Erin scooted down and wrapped the girl in a hug.

"I know. He did a number on you, didn't he?" Cass winced at the mere mention of her ex and it made Erin's blood boil. She may not be a killing machine, but she could definitely think of a few creative murder plans to be dealt towards the man Cass unfortunately considered her ex boyfriend. Cass groaned and shook her head.

"I can both smell and feel your anger Erin. You and Marko both get extremely angry when Levi is brought up." Erin froze at the name, and Cass did too. Obviously, just now realizing she had said his name. She hadn't said his name in months. Erin had almost forgot it. She let out a small growl, and Cass sighed.

"You know it doesn't hurt as bad. Whenever I would think of him, it use to almost paralyze me. But now, after everything with Marko, he just seems like someone that was never real. I know I'll always feel a small amount of pain, but I don't feel as hopeless anymore, you know?" Cass smiled then, getting lost in her own thoughts and Erin let her, knowing that she was in good ones, rather than the dangerous ones that Erin often caught her best friend in.

 _Cass_

She wasn't lying. Thinking of Levi use to chill her to her bone, the thought of his face, name, smell would made her physically ill. And while she still hated him, it wasn't the all consuming hate she was used to. Perhaps that was the best part of becoming a vampire, old emotions didn't seem as intense anymore. It was the new ones and the important ones that stuck with her.

'Hey Marko?' she questioned inside of her head, picturing his smiling face.

'What's up ba.. Cassandra?' he finally questioned back. She frowned, they weren't exactly on the best of terms, but she definitely wouldn't mind being called babe. Especially hearing it come from his voice.

'Babe' he corrected and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice. She inwardly rolled her eyes at his smugness. 'Don't roll your eyes at me, you'll regret it. Babe' he snickered and she let out a slight scoff.

'You don't scare me teenager' she giggled and he let out a fake growl at the nickname. And it was then that she was picturing his face, and half smile she knew he would have, and the color of his eyes that she realized she was so incredibly lucky and grateful that she had him.

'Did you need something?' he spoke

'Yeah. I just.. I' she stumbled over her words, not really sure how to voice her thoughts, let alone string them into a coherent sentence.

'Hey. We'll talk when we get back to the cave ok? Face to face.' he sent her a smile and she smiled back. She looked at the clock sitting on Erin's nightstand and realized she needed to get back. Erin was knocked out with her head on her shoulder. She carefully laid her down on the pillow and threw a blanket over her, she moved the hair out of her face and backed out of the room slowly. Turning and closing the door quietly before skipping down the stairs.

"You lot ready?" she asked as she got to the bottom, making sure to keep her voice down.

"Is Erin asleep?" Dwayne questioned, his eyes peering up the staircase.

"Yeah, she passed out on me." Cass shrugged and looked at Marko. He was already looking at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Let's go then!" Paul whooped and everyone shushed him, Cass adding a smack to the shoulder. "Oops sorry!" Paul sang and gave an awkward grin to her before running out of the house. Cass could only roll her eyes at the blonde's actions before following him outside, making sure to lock the door behind her. Marko grabbed her hand and helped her onto his bike. He started it and revved the engine, warming it up. He picked up her hand and laid a small kiss on the palm of it, stroking over the spot with his thumb and placing it on his stomach. Her stomach did multiple somersaults and erupted in butterflies. She squeezed him and laid her head on his shoulder. She yawned lazily and he took off.

"You gonna be able to stay up and talk to me" he yelled over the loud roar of the motorbikes.

"Always have time for you" she mumbled back, squeezing again. He shook his head but she could feel that he was content. She knew they had a long way towards a healthy relationship, but she didn't think it was that far off. Things were already a lot better, maybe the thought of her dying scared the crap out of him and now he wasn't willing to make mistakes anymore. Not that she minded if he did, because relationships were built on mistakes, it's how you learned about yourself and your partner. How to grow together. Or that's what she assumed it was supposed to be like. She didn't know exactly. Her relationship with Levi made her question who she really was and who she wanted to be. He turned her world in so many directions that she didn't even know if she was in the same place as when she met him.

Marko's hand squeezing hers had her crashing back down to earth and anchoring her there. She hated when she dazed out like that, there was no room to dwell on the past and she knew it. But she liked to think that looking back at the past made her appreciate the future a lot more, and learn.

"We're home" Marko announced as he kicked his kickstand out, angling the bike and jumping off, turning to help her off the bike as well. He gave her a smile, a real one. Not a 'I know something you don't smile' and she genuinely loved it. His smile turned into a devilish grin and she felt like kissing him and hitting him at the same time.

"Kissing works. Hitting doesn't" he smirked and cocked his head, daring her to kiss him. She wanted to. God she wanted to. But she wouldn't. Pretty boys don't always have to have their way, at least not right now.

"I'll pass, thanks though" she beamed a smile and brushed past him, completely ignoring the pout that formed on his lips. His lower lip jutting out just the right amount that had her teeth urging to tug on it. Marko let out a low growl.

"Cassandra" he bit out and she didn't to turn around. She knew her effect on him, same as he knew his on her. She got to the stairs and stopped. She really, really, really hated these stairs. They were unpredictable and unsafe. If one board fell she would plummet to her death in the raging waves. Plus, the trek down them was enough to give her nightmares. The cliff was high up and she hated heights. She breathed deeply before making her way slowly down. It was a miracle in itself that she made her way up the stairs when she was chasing Paul, but she was fueled by anger and confusion. Or maybe it was the fact that she was going up and off of the cliff that had her mind at ease.

"Well if you keep up that pace, you'll be fried by the sun in 2 hours" Marko laughed, running by her and jumping down a few stairs. She screamed at his sudden burst of energy, that and he had knocked into her slightly, causing her to stumble.

"Would rather fry that fall" she seethed, gripping the banister tightly once she was sure she wasn't going to tumble and die.

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard!" he yelled, flying back up and scooping her into his arms. She screamed again, tightening her hands on his shoulders and trying not to flail.

"Put me down! Oh my fuck, put me down!" she screeched, closing her eyes tightly and burying her face into his neck.

"Zero chance. I have you where I want you and I'm not letting you go" he chuckled and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"You can be sappy any other time but this one" she grumbled, finally peeking her eyes to look at him. He was looking at her, but they were descending and before she knew it, they were on the ground and she was jumping down to it. Once her feet met solid ground she whooped out a praise and considered kissing the solid earth.

"Please don't, I couldn't begin to tell you how disgusting that would be" Marko shuttered and she whirled to look at him. A glare perfectly in place, her finger jabbed out and poked him in the chest, hard. He pouted and rubbed at the spot.

"You little shit!" she yelled, "you know I'm scared of heights! Do you vampires have a therapist I can go to? Because I will need one for the damage done by you this past week!" she clenched her fists. He stared at her and then began laughing, she could hear the other boys laughing as well and she spun on her heel, racing down the stairs. Holy crap she didn't fall. She would worry about that later.

"What is so funny?" she threw her hands up once she got to the bottom of the stone steps and then placed them on her hips, narrowing her eyes at each and every one of these little shits.

"You're cute when you're mad" Paul blew her a kiss and she ran at him unexpectedly, tackling him with more force than she thought she had. They both went flying and he hit the couch hard. He let out a oomph and she was pinning his wrists down.

"Am I still cute?" she growled, trying to sound as threatening as possible. He stared at her wide eyed before smiling.

"Yes" he agreed and she looked up at the small table, trying to find something to piss off her own personal demon. She spotted a tube of glitter, where it came from, how it got there or what is doing/used for was something she didn't question. It was there and she was going to use it. She grabbed it and ripped off the opening, she gave one last glare to Paul who shouted in annoyance, trying to buck her off of him. His movements only caused the tube to dump out the entirety of the glitter into his hair. His hair was streaked was purple and blue glitter, and it definitely wasn't coming out anytime soon.

"Cassandra!" Paul cried, finally getting her off of him and shaking his head as best as he could, large clumps of glitter coming out but no where near how much her had in his hair. She was laughing uncontrollably and the other boys were crying in laughter.

"I will get you for this!" he seethed, pointing a finger at her and stalking off towards the bathing area.

"Sure thing princess" she laughed and he he yelled an "I hate you" over his shoulder before disappearing. Markp jumped onto the couch, wrapping her up in his arms and she wiggled until his elbows weren't jabbing her in the rib cage. She was resting on his lap and he was playing with her hair.

"That was perfect Cassandra. That'll be in his hair for days" Dwayne laughed and David snorted. "Weeks probably. His hair is all hairspray and glitter sticks to everything anyways. In fact, I think glitter will be in his hair for the rest of his life." They all started laughing again and Paul shouted an "I hate you all" before we heard him furiously scrubbing and crying out when glitter kept coming out of his hair.

"I say we dump glitter in his hair when he isn't paying attention. Will drive him banana's" Cass planned and all 3 nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well we're going to bed. Goodnight you two." David nodded to them and Dwayne got up to follow, sending a smile their way and heading off towards their sleeping chambers.

"Why do you guys sleep down there?" she questioned

"I don't know. Just always have" he shrugged and brought her in closer, ghosting hip lips over her forehead.

"Are there more comfy beds down there?" she asked, tilting her head back towards his lips. He chuckeled and shook his head.

"No beds" he pressed another kiss to her forehead, this one with more pressure and she forgot what he said.

"Couches?" she finally remembered to ask.

"Nope" he kissed her cheek, running his lips to her jaw.

"Then what the fuck?" she mumbled

"A bar" he murmured

"Mmm, alcohol?" she questioned. Wait, what? They were talking about sleeping right? No, they couldn't be. How did they start talking about bars? She missed a very large portion of this conversation and she didn't know how.

"No Cassandra, a bar to sleep on." he clarified.

"How the shit? Doesn't that hurt your back? A little bar digging into it? How in the world do you all fit on one bar?" she jerked away from his lips that were creating a trail of fire down her neck. He breathed out a laugh.

"We don't lay on the bar. We hang from it" he chuckled at her bewildered expression.

She imagined then hanging like a normal person would, hands on the bar. But there was no way they could sleep like that, that would be severely uncomfortable, and just downright undoable. Did they hang by their knees? What about the blood flow to the head?

"Hang?" she finally gasped out

"Yep. By our toes" he smirked and a look of disgust and confusion flickered across her face.

"Toes?" she questioned

"Yeah our toes lock onto the bar and we hang upside down like a bat" he kissed her neck.

She imagined them all hanging there like bats and it was...weird? How did they? What?

"Blood flow? Headache?" she mumbled "feet aren't weird, toes aren't big enough to grab a bar? Would have noticed if you had weird little….claws?" she voiced all of her weird thoughts but still didn't seem like she voiced all of her questions.

"They return back to normal when I'm walking or anything. They only shift that way when I sleep" his hands ran down her sides and grasped her tightly, picking her up and carrying her to her designated bedroom. He threw her down and tugged his jacket and boots off.

"Oh my God, you aren't going to show me them are you?" she scooted as far away from his feet as possible and looked anywhere but the floor. "Are mine like that!?" she mumbled pulling her socks off and wiggling her toes to make sure they were still toes. They were.

"No and they could be if I taught you" he laughed and laid down, pulling her into his chest.

"Oh good, please don't" she cuddled into his side and he lightly stroked her arm, shaking his head and mumbling a quiet "ok"

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked into her hair

Crap. She had completely forgot about that. How would she say it, what are words? How did she tell him that she liked him? I guess just say that? But it was more than just liking him.

"I like you" she blurted and her whole body tensed, he chuckled "I like you too Cassandra." he finally told her.

"No like, I really like you. I knew I liked you, but I didn't realize how much until Erin and I were talking about Levi" she traced a spiral into his collarbone and his whole body tensed.

"Levi?" he bit out

"My ex-boyfriend" she clarified

"Why were you talking about him?" he seethed, tightening his hold on her.

"I don't know how it started. But I just realized how everything with him doesn't hurt as bad. Like now that I have you and everything, he just seems so.. Unreal I guess" she shrugged

"Explain more" he whispered, kissing her forehead.

She groaned but nodded. "After everything that I went through with him, I just figured that I could never look at anyone the same. Especially a guy. He ruined me. And I thought that the pain he caused would be my utter ruin, and that I would be heartbroken the rest of my life. But then you come along and I don't even remember his name or him anymore. It's like he never existed. I know I'll always be cautious but I'm not who I used to be. And it's because of you." she looked up at him and leaned herself up on her elbow. He stared at her and licked his lips, her tongue darting out to lick her own.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. I know we got off to a rocky start and things didn't really go right, but I'm still grateful for you. You showed me a whole new world, and you led me to be a whole other Cassandra. Because I had forgotten who I was. I don't want to be that same girl anymore, I want to be who I am when I'm with you. When I'm with all of you." she smiled and his head jerked up to press his lips against her. Settling for slow and deep kisses. He crushed her against him and she let out a small moan, loving the feeling of being so tightly pressed against him and loving his tongue exploring her mouth.

"God Cassandra. I'm not good with words, but I get it. I was one way before you stumbled into my life and I'm trying to be someone better. Someone who deserves you. I know I'm not doing that great of a job but I'm trying and I will always try for you. And I will always protect you" he pressed his forehead against hers and this time she was lifting his head so his lips could meet hers, her teeth nipping his bottom lip and sliding her tongue into his mouth. Their tongues meeting and clashing, and exploring. Never growing tired of each other, and not needing to breathe. He finally pulled away and she cuddled into him.

"What did he do?" he finally asked, and she knew he had been wanting to ask for a long time. And she knew that it was time to finally tell someone. To tell someone everything. It was better to get it off of her chest, out of her mind and into the open air.

"I met Levi when I was 16. He was 18. He was this forbidden thing that I couldn't have because he was older and just so unattainable. His group hung out with mine, and we had mutual friends. I tried to stay away from him, and for the most part I did. He didn't notice me at first, and then one night it's like he saw me for the first time. He would constantly be around me, hugging me, kissing me, claiming me. And at the time I loved the attention. All of my friends warned me about him, but I didn't listen. I was too happy that a boy finally noticed me." I shook my head at my dumb 16 year old self and continued.

"He slowly drove all of my friends away, until I only had him and my grandparents. My mom had died giving birth to me, and my father and brother had died shortly after I met Levi. My grandparents were old souls and wanted to trap me in the house, and Levi made me feel like he was the only one I could turn to. I didn't realize it at the time, but he was telling everyone how much I hated them, and that I was crazy, I needed help. I was unstable and people should stay away from me, and eventually they all did. He would tell them horrible things about me, and horrible things that he made up that I said. One day I came home and there was a note on the table from my grandma. An envelope was right next to it. The envelope had $100 dollars in it. The note said that they wouldn't tolerate drugs in their home and I had the rest of the day to get my things out." I bit my lip and closed my eyes tightly, Marko brought me in and placed a soft kiss onto my lips before letting me continue.

"I didn't know what they were talking about. I had never done drugs before, maybe drink a little, but not drugs. I ran up to my room and Levi was just sitting on my bed reading a book. He looked up at me and noticed my emotional state, he immediately came to me and asked me what was wrong. He said they were delusional, that they didn't love me and was just trying to find excuses to make me leave. He said everyone leaves, and then eventually everyone dies, so it was better this way. He helped me pack my things, and then we stayed at his apartment. It was my darkest times there. He told me he loved me, and I didn't know if I felt the same way back. I was only 16, about to turn 17. I didn't know what love was. But he was all I had. So I told him I loved him back. And he told me that if I really loved him, I would sleep with him." at that Marko let out a growl.

"Marko you're not going to like a lot of this. So you'll need to try and stay calm" I pressed a kiss to his knuckles before diving back in.

"I wasn't ready to sleep with him. I had just lost my father and brother, and I had just been kicked out. But again, he was all I had left. I tried telling him I wasn't ready but he called me an ungrateful bitch. He hit me and split open my lip. He called me every name in the book, and he made me feel worthless, until I felt like the only way I would be happy and he would stop yelling and go back to telling me he loved me was to sleep with him. He didn't try and make me feel better, he didn't go slow and it was awful. I cried the whole time and he laughed, he kept calling me his slut, and his little worthless orphan. But at least he was calling me his, and that's all that mattered to me. This continued for 2 years. I wasn't allowed to get a job, I wasn't allowed to have friends. I could barely leave the apartment. I had to be completely naked all of the time, and I couldn't lock myself in anywhere. I couldn't contact anyone." I stopped and breathed out a sigh.

"I still wonder if my grandparents tried to find me, tried to get ahold of me. Guess I'll never know" I mused aloud and shrugged.

"Everyday he would come home for work and he would have sex with me. Sometimes multiple times and the soreness never went away, I was just numb. I had to cook dinner, completely naked. He took away all of my clothes, he burned them all in front of me. He left me with only his clothes, but I could only put them on when he told me I could. Cooking dinner or anything for that matter was the worst, especially if it was grease because it would pop and it burned. I could only eat however much he would let me because he said that I was fat, and that I needed to lose weight, the only way to do that was to hardly eat anything. There were times that I had to sit and watch him eat. He made me eat the worst food sometimes. Baby food, dog food, you name it. He said it wouldn't make me fat, and that if I threw up it was a bonus because then the food that I just ate wouldn't linger in my stomach. And a lot of the times the cooking wasn't the best, or he just simply didn't want that for dinner, so he would beat me. Sometimes with his fists, other times with a belt, anything that would hurt." I was borderline crying now and Marko had gone completely still, his expression one of absolute murder and sheer terror. I know it hurt him to hear this, but he needed to know.

"One night, I was fed up with it. I argued back that I was hungry, that I needed to eat or I was going to die. He laughed and said it wasn't his problem. His house, his money, his bitch, his rules. I told him I would leave, and he hit me. He hit me so many times that I was rendered unconscious. I was out for 2 days. When I woke up I was tied to the dining room chair. I was in so much pain, and I had bruises all of my body. I was covered in blood. He just knocked me out and strapped me to a chair. My vagina was sore so I knew he had still been having sex with me. He came home and he was pissed I was awake. He said he was mad I was awake because now he actually had to look at me when we had sex, and listen to me. And he would rather me be out cold or dead when having sex with me. So he started drugging me and it would knock me out for hours. Each time I woke up more sore than the last, and I don't know I guess I finally just stood my ground. I tried acting nicer towards him, to make it better. And in the end I found out everything he did. He admitted it to me in a sick sense of pride." I was so angry at this point that I wanted to find him and kill him, but I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't.

"He admitted that he drove all of my friends away. He admitted that he planted drugs in my room and told my grandparents that I was an addict, that he would help me. He admitted to all of the times he drugged me and raped me. And he loved it. He loved that he did all of those sick things to me. So I acted like it didn't bother me. And when he went to work the next day, I grabbed some of his clothes, and broke into his safe. I stole only what I thought I would need and finally left. I caught a bus to Washington, travelling mostly until I found a place I liked. Far away from my old life in Utah. I settled and worked at a clothing store, and once I turned 20 I got a job at Danny's bar. I couldn't serve alcohol but I could clean and cook, and that was enough for me. Then I met Erin, and she doesn't know any of this. Just that I had a really shitty ex named Levi who was horrible. She doesn't know where I'm from. I was afraid that if I shared too much, he would find me some how. And I know he's looking." she finally finished and looked at Marko for his reaction. He didn't say anything for a long time and it made her nervous. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything? Maybe this was a mistake.

"I'm so sorry Cass" he finally whispered, tugging her until every part of him was pressed against her. "God, I" he swallowed hard and pressed his face into her hair. "He never deserved you. You are beautiful, inside and out. You were never and never will be worthless, you mean so much to me. And so much to Erin and the boys. I will take care of you and I will protect you until I die, and I will kill him if I ever see him. He doesn't deserve to see the light of another fucking day" he seethed

"I will treat you better. I will be better. I will make up for what he deprived you of. We're going to make it Cass, we're going to be healthy and fun. And while I can be controlling I will never be that way, I will always put you and your needs above anything else. You're never going to feel alone again baby, never" he kissed her hard and she melted into his arms, showing her appreciation through her lips.

"Your life, your health, and definitely our sex will be much better" she laughed and he joined in after awhile.

"That's all already true. Especially the sex" she teased and his face went back to serious.

"I'm serious Cassandra. I'm going to be better. I'm going to take care of you." he whispered.

"I don't need you to take care of me. I need to you be strong, and I need you with me. I need you to hug me and kiss me and just be here. Be you, and that's enough for me." she whispered back.

"I can promise you that and then some" he gave her a soft smile.

"Will you sleep in here with me tonight? I get kind of lonely in here by myself" she hugged him and he chuckled.

"I will stay in here with you every night" he said

"No you don't have to, I know you'll miss your boys" she quickly said

"Nope. You're my girl, I wanna cuddle you. I'll see them during the night, sleeping time is for us and us alone." he grinned and sat up to yank his t-shirt over his head before laying back down.

"Pants?" She questioned innocently

"Pervert" he teased before getting up and stripping his pants off. No matter how many times she's seen him like this, it still knocks the breath out of her. He was beautiful. Desire, and perfection incarnate.

"Your turn" he says as he slides under the covers next to her. She shakes her head but strips down to her undergarments anyways.

"Much better" he mumbles, bringing her in and tucking her under his arms, the rising sun causing his eyelids to fall, and hers as well.

"Goodnight Marko, thank you for listening." she whispers, placing a small kiss on his lips.

"Always, dream of me Cassandra" he smiles and then he's out. She stares at him before kissing him and promptly falling asleep.

 _Paul_

He hadn't been able to fall asleep, and he had heard everything Cassandra and Marko had said. He wasn't nearly as angry with Marko anymore, they were on the same side as each other now. Her ex boyfriend was going to die, he was sure of that. Especially when the other boys woke up and he told them. Goodbye Levi. Hello Death.


	14. xiv

_Cass_

The night had started out just like any other night...sort of. For starters, Cass had woken up to a mouth full of blonde curly hair, so that wasn't pleasant. But then she had swatted at him until he turned over onto his back and everything was right again in the world as she took in Marko's almost naked body. He had groaned when he rolled over and she caught sight of the fact that he most definitely had a boner. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to get out of the room and to the bath before she jumped him, or he woke up. She needed cold water, really cold water.

After her bath, Cass was lounging in the main part of the cave; David, Marko and Dwayne had left to get real food before they would all go their separate ways. That left Paul and her. Paul took longer in the shower than necessary - due to the fact that he still had an ass ton on glitter in his hair so the boys ditched him. She was brushing out her hair while she fiddled with the designated sound system, an old boom box that had seen better days. The sound was phenomenal though, so she couldn't complain about the atrocity that it was. She finally found a rock station that she liked, the ending notes of Paradise City belting through the speakers before a familiar tune started playing.

This had been an all time favorite song of Cass' for as long as she could remember. Heaven by Bryan Adams. She quietly mumbled the first few stanzas, her voice rising at "Now nothing can take you away from me!" Paul had chosen that exact moment to come into the lounge, stopping mid towel dry to stare wide eyed at Cass as she stood up on the couch and belted out the lyrics. Paul wished he had a camera. "We've been down that road before, but that's over now!" she screamed as she twirled from couch cushion to the next. She heard a bark of laughter - completely ignoring it before finishing the 2nd verse "you keep me coming back for more!"

"BABY YOU'RE ALL THAT I WANT, WHEN YOU'RE LYING HERE IN MY ARMS. I'M FINDING IT HARD TO BELIEVE WE'RE IN HEAVEN!" Paul joined into Cass' voice, the 2 singing horribly and out of tune, but with no less emotion than the song deserved. Paul jumped on top of the fountain, playing an air guitar and doing a slight head bang.

"AND LOVE IS ALL THAT I NEED, AND I FOUND IT THERE IN YOUR HEART. IT ISN'T TOO HARD TO SEE WE'RE IN HEAVEN!" They both belted out, Paul jumping down off of the fountain to join Cass on the couch.

 _Marko_

He had heard the shouting way before he got to the entrance of the cave, what he saw, wasn't what he was expecting. In fact, he figured Cass would be laying in bed waiting for him to come back. In private where they could speak about the rude awakening he got this morning, he woke up with the most uncomfortable boner known to mankind. Which was Cass' fault because she was practically naked next to him and he really had dreamt of her, dreamt of them. And he wanted to tell her of his dream so he could see that heat rise to her cheeks, smell the spark of desire that flitted through her veins.

But here she was singing karaoke with Paul. And he was jealous. He wanted to make her laugh like that. And he wanted to do those silly things with her. But he figured that that would come with time, he hoped.

 _David_

Great. As if Paul dancing and singing completely off key all of the damn time _wasn't_ enough, now he had a partner in crime. David considered staking himself. It would hurt less than the abuse his ears were going through at the moment. Why couldn't they find a better song to listen to? He growled and stalked towards Paul, swiping the blondes legs out from under him and watching him tumble. Cass laughed and pointed at the boy who was now in a heap on the ground, having not had the time to catch himself. Marko acted quick, swinging Cass into his arms and carrying her back into her makeshift bedroom.

"But I liked that song!" she whined as they got further and further down the cave.

"What was that for?" Paul spit, finally getting his limbs in order and sitting up straight.

"For being an idiot" David deadpanned, lighting a cigarette.

"You're mean! I like Cass better than you!" Paul grumbled back harshly, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue.

"Obviously" David rolled his eyes and looked at Dwayne who was looking at the 2 blondes in pure amusement.

"I'm hungry!" Paul yelled, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Yes we will eat. They have a date...or whatever anyways" he stamped out his cigarette. He was happy for Marko. He didn't really like Cassandra at first, her mouth making her someone he would have rather just ripped the throat out of. But he would never admit it aloud, but the shorter girl had grown on him. Except for the spider trick. No. He would get her back for that. He didn't miss the angry look that crossed over Paul's face, he growled in warning and Paul instantly smiled again, though it was fake.

 _Marko_

Once he was sure the other boys had taken off, he had Cass pinned to the bed. His teeth tracing her throat in a predatory manner before softly nipping her jugular. She gulped and he sharply inhaled.

"You left me all alone this evening Cassandra, why would you do that?" he whispered into her neck, his breath ghosting over her skin causing gooseflesh to rise.

"I.. I don't know" she whimpered, her hands slotting themselves through his hair.

He smirked and freed her hands, pinning them above her head, using one hand to trail slowly down her body, catching on the back of her thigh and hitching it over his hip.

"Don't lie baby" he smiled and licked his lips, her eyes following the movement and wetting her own. God she didn't even know what she did to him. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she didn't even know it.

She shrugged again and he absolutely loved the way she was so shy. Loved that he would be the one to break her out of her shell.

"I had a dream about you" he kissed her neck and she arched into him.

"Mmmm?" she mumbled out, her wrists twisting to get out of his hold.

"Yeah I dreamed that you were on all fours, me behind you. I was fucking you slow and deep and you were begging me to go faster, bucking into me to try and tempt me. My fist wrapped into your hair, pulling you back until your back was against my chest, you cried out and said please. It was only then that I fucked you faster and harder, it only took you seconds to come. You screamed my name, and I finished inside of you." he licked a bold stripe up her neck, littering small kisses across it.

Fuck. He was only supposed to get her going, but now he was going. But he would stop. Not just to tease her, but because a promise was a promise.

He released her arms, pecking her on the lips and moving off of her before she could pull him down.

"Wha.. What?" her eyes were dark, her pupils blown out in lust. A red blush coating her cheeks. Shit. She looked so tempting right now. They needed to leave. Now.

"Ready for that date?" he smiled and she shook her head.

"Why would you do that?" she seethed, jumping up and straightening her clothes out. She wouldn't look at him, frustration, and something else lingering in the air. Sadness. Why was she sad?

"You left me hard this morning. It's only fair." he teased as he lifted his shoulder in a half shrug, her eyes snapping up to meet his.

"You.. You're punishing me?" her mouth fell open and she looked at him in bewilderment.

"Don't look at it like that. I'm keeping my promise" he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room and down the corridor.

"Promise? What promise?" she groaned trying to tug him to a stop.

"Where I said we take things slow. I want this to work Cassandra" he stopped abruptly, causing her to smack into him. He looked at her and she had a small frown on her lips. He leaned down and kissed her softly, doing anything to get rid of that vulnerable look in her eyes. She looked up at him and he began leading her again.

"So... you still want me?" she breathed and again he stopped.

What? Why would she think that he didn't want her?

"Of course why wouldn't I?" he looked at her in alarm and she had a far away look in her eyes.

"I don't know, because of last night" she shuffled her feet and looked down at them. He hooked a finger around her chin, tilting her head to look at him.

"I want you for the rest of my long life. I want you in every way possible. Last night didn't deter me, it spurred me on. I'm going to show you the way you should have been treated, how you deserve to be treated. I'm going to be someone who deserves you. It's going to be hard, because I'd like nothing more than to throw you over my shoulder and replicate my dream, but I'm not going to. I'm going to do this right." he kissed her hard and she moaned, pressing herself against him. "Ok?" he finally managed to breathe out.

"Yes" she whispered back as she kissed him this time, tangling her fingers in his curls and tugging slightly.

"Cassandra, if you don't stop I can't keep my promise" he mumbled against her lips, tightening his hold on her hips. She giggled but let go, "so where we going?" He sighed before swooping her up into his arms and flying out the cave. She screamed and clutched onto him, giving him a glare. It didn't really work considering she was so terrified.

 _Cass_

"You could have warned me!" she shouted, her voice echoing around them as he flew his way to the top of the bluff. There was no way she would get used to this. It took her an abnormal about of time to learn to walk when she was younger, and she still had troubles considering she was so clumsy. Zero chance she'd just up and start flying like it was natural. Or I guess it was natural, now. For her kind. But still, no, she wouldn't get used to it.

Once he sat her down on her feet she huffed at him and slid onto bike, crossing her arms and looking anywhere else but at him. 2 could play this game.

He laughed "you'll still lose baby" he slid on in front of her and jumped his bike, causing her to jerk forward into him and clutch his t-shirt in her fists.

"I hate you" she grumbled as she got comfortable behind him, squeezing his hips slightly with her thighs and pressing her front against his back. His small choke of breath let her know she won this small battle. He hissed slightly before his bike screamed off into the night, speeding to their unknown destination. She hoped tonight went well, she wanted so badly for them to be something more, to be something more real.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked as they drove a few streets over from the boardwalk. The faint music and screams still being slightly heard.

"You" she answered honestly, resting her chin on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to look at her, a small smile gracing his lip. It should be illegal to look as good as he did. He was all fake innocence and devilish smirks. And muscle, she couldn't forget that.

"Good things I hope?" he joked, though he probably heard every damn word spoken in her mind, and she really didn't care. But just in case he didn't and he was trying to respect her privacy, she would tease him.

"No. You smell funny" she smirked when his head shot sideways to look at her suddenly, the corners of his lips turning down into a frown. She almost laughed. Almost. He nostrils flared in almost an invisible gesture, if she wasn't so focused on him, she would have missed it. She laughed then at his obvious action to smell himself. He parked suddenly, her jerking forward into him again.

"It's not nice to tease me" he pouted as he swung himself off. He stood in front of her and she drank him in, in the most pleasant way. He opted for a navy blue long sleeve t-shirt, and black jeans, his regular boots covering his feet. But he looked no less handsome. His curls were pinned back and he was smirking. Of course he was smirking. She shook her head and jumped off his bike, ignoring the hand he held out to her.

"Glad you find me handsome, you're beautiful." She felt the blush rise to her cheeks, she hoped once she got this vampire thing down she could control the heat that rushed to the forefront. She hadn't really thought she was beautiful. Just a simple black dress with silver sandals, but hearing it front of him made her believe him. And she had never felt beautiful before. Yet another reason she was entirely grateful for his presence. He dipped down and kissed her softly, breathing a sigh against her lips when he pulled away.

"Don't go too far into you head, stay with me" he smiled and led her into a small but cute restaurant. Fairy lights hanging outside and small chatter coming from inside. Once they walked in, Cass was immediately in love. It was rustic in theme with white wood, and even more fairy lighting. Soft music was playing, with a flickering candle at each table. She was too busy drinking in the place that she didn't notice their hostess leading them to a table. Marko gently grabbed her elbow and pulled along, "do you like it?" he questioned as they got to a table, he helped her get situated before going to his own chair.

"Your server will be right with you" she smiled and then left, giving Cass an opportunity to answer him.

"No" she shook her head her eyes flicking to his, he frowned, "I love it" she smiled and he rolled his eyes, reaching across the table to take her hand. He stared down at their hands and rubbed his thumb over her pointer finger knuckle.

"I'm sorry Cass" he whispered. Why was he sorry? Had he said something and she didn't hear him? She looked down to where he was staring and she finally saw that he was running over a small white scar she had gotten when Thomas had kidnapped her.

"No. No. That wasn't your fault" she captured his hand and squeezed it tightly making him look up at her.

"Yes it was" he mumbled as once again he lost eye contact with.

"Hi! I'm Sydney and I'm your server, what can I get you guys to drink?" She angled her body towards Marko. Of course. She gave him a flirty smile that he didn't seem to notice. But she did. And if she didn't quit looking at her man like that, she was going to rip her eyes out. She was sure of it. Marko's head angled towards her and his eyes widened before a large smile spread across his cheeks.

"I'll just have a coke" he smiled at the waitress and the girl hummed.

"And I'll have a water" she added in as she was sure the girl forgot she was there. The girl gave her a side eyed look as if actually forgetting she was there and gave her a dirty look.

"No soda for you?" she smiled, though it was fake. Her eyes roamed down Cass' figure and they met her eyes again. Marko stiffened and his lip set into a sneer. 'Don't. We can have fun with this' she whispered into his mind and he narrowed his eyes at her before shaking his head in amusement.

"Nope. You can get yourself one, if you'd like." Cass smiled back and the waitress gave her a confused look before walking off with their orders.

"Have some fun?" Marko questioned as the girl became out of earshot.

She shrugged "yeah I'm hungry."

"We're about to ea.. Oh" he pursued his lips in the most adorable way. She laughed and he laughed to.

"I see. This can be fun" he sent her a devilish smirk and the waitress returned, slamming Cass' drink down in front of her, some water sloshing over the side and spilling onto the table.

"Whoopsie, sorry" the girl gave a fake sorry smile and Cass really wanted to slam her head into the table they were sitting in. Watch the blood flow from her broken nose. Yeah, she was really, really hungry. Marko's foot kicked hers and she looked up at him. He shook his head slightly.

"Sydney, right? What do you recommend?" he asked sweetly and Cass grit her teeth. That little shit.

"Oh the chicken parmesan is to die for" she moaned and winked. Did she say die? Yes, die she would.

"That sounds lovely, we'll both have that" Cass butt in, snapping the menu closed and all but shoving it into the girls hands.

"Would you like a salad?" The waitress asked, glaring at her.

"Nope. I might want dessert after so stick around" Cass gave her a wink and Marko coughed to hide the laugh that wanted to come out.

"I'm sure" the girl smiled and looked back at Marko.

"Is that what you want? My recommendation?" the girl asked sweetly

"Yes, sounds perfect" Marko closed his menu gently and handed it to her, her hand "accidentally" brushing his. Cass had to fight the growl wanting to rip out through her throat.

"And dessert? I have the most excellent recommendation" the girl licked her lips and winked before giving him a flirty smile.

"I look forward to it" Marko smirked and she walked off, her hips swaying a little too extra. Though he didn't notice, he was too busy staring at Cass.

"You're cute when you're jealous"

"Shut up" she mumbled and he laughed, "I'll get you back" she promised and he just laughed again.

"How did you find this place?" she asked as they sat in silence staring at each other for awhile. Though it wasn't uncomfortable.

"I found it one night when I was alone. I was just riding around trying to clear my head when I saw it. I instantly loved it. Plus, it smelled amazing. I've never been in here before, so this is a gamble" he smiled sheepishly.

"I love it Marko, really" she answered and grabbed his hand. He stared down at her scar again and she wanted to whack him upside the head. She didn't know how to convince him that it wasn't his fault.

"Stop. Not your fault. Stop going there" she whispered as she swiped her thumb over his knuckles.

"It feels like my fault. I shouldn't have left you like that" he whispered back hoarsely, still not making eye contact.

She sighed, "Marko, he would have got me some way. You can't stay with me all of the time."

"I can now" he said as he finally looked up at her, raw emotion flashing in his eyes.

"You can now" she confirmed, she let his hand go when she spotted the waitress walking towards them with their plates. He frowned but didn't press the subject, giving her a side eyed look that had her wanting to kiss him.

"Here ya go" she nicely sat his food down and stared at him, smiling, urging him to try his food. "Try it. That way I know if I'm right or not" she beamed and Cass rolled her eyes. What a ditz. Actually no, what a freaking weirdo. Desperate weirdo she added.

"Can I have mine?" Cass asked harshly, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, right" she sneered and plopped the food down.

Marko cut in and shoveled a fork full into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing audibly. Cass rolled her eyes again at his childish behavior. How can someone with a tongue like his be so undeniably cute and childish?

"It's very good, thank you" he smiled and turned away, effectively ending their conversation.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else. Especially dessert" she smiled proudly and stood there staring at him. No way this girl was that dumb. Marko gave her a help me stare and Cass almost wanted to let him suffer.

"You can go now. Thanks" Cass shooed her off with a fork in hand and the girl huffed before sauntering off.

"Remind me to never piss you off" Marko said as he shoveled another forkful in.

"You'll do well to remember it yourself" she smirked and began eating. Fuck. The girl was right, this was good. At least she was good for something. They both hurriedly ate as they were both hungry for something else entirely, and maybe they just wanted to be alone.

 _Marko_

He couldn't help but be extremely proud of himself. He was being talkative, friendly, and honest. Traits he always had trouble with, but with Cass it seemed they came naturally. It felt like he was being himself and he had forgotten who that was until she came along. Hell, they were even teasing each other. And planning on having the waitress for dinner, and it wasn't even his idea. He had a little vindictive vixen on his hands, that's for sure. But he wasn't complaining, in fact he was quite happy. He was known for being vindictive, and cunning, and somewhat a manipulator. So the fact that his girl was starting to be the same pleased him.

Wait…. His girl? Was she? He had never asked. Did he need to ask? Or does she just automatically become him? How does one ask such a question?

"My girl?" he blurted stupidly and Cass looked up at him in alarm. Her blue eyes widening slightly at his question.

"What?" she managed to respond, her voice thick with confusion.

He cleared his throat "uhhh, are you my girl?" he wondered aloud, cursing himself for sounding so stupid. And clueless. He was absolute shit at this and he wouldn't be surprised if she left him. But the thought of her leaving him had him gripping his eating utensils, a snarl wanting to rip out of his throat. If he reacted this way by just the mere thought of it, he would never be able to live through it.

"Well, do you want me to be?" she asked, tilting her head in the most adorable way. Her eyes had darkened slightly and he noticed the candle light flickered in just the right way that it caused her to glow. He thought she looked like an angel. His angel. Yes, he wanted her to be his.

"Well yeah" he mumbled, choosing to take a rather large bite to avoid sounding any more awkward than he already did. He had to stop this, or he wouldn't have any more food left when the next time he was stupid came up.

"Marko, are you asking me out?" she smiled and his breath caught. Weren't they already out though? He asked her to come on a date with him, so why would she ask.

"We're already out" he pointed out and she shook his head. Probably because he was clueless.

"I mean, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she questioned and a look of uneasiness crossed over her face. Was she as scared as he was? He wanted everything to do with her, but he didn't want to fuck up again. He didn't want to see her hurt ever again. He wasn't used to this, he was very bad at it. He should have practiced, maybe to one of the boys? No, they would have died of laughter and never accomplished anything. He would have been mad and that would have made for a terrible date. Maybe he should have just practiced it inside of his mind first, at the very least.

"Would you want to be?" he asked and locked eye contact with her. Letting his vulnerability shine through, but he saw some in hers as well. She was scared. Scared of being hurt by him. Because of her ex-boyfriend, man he hated that guy. He couldn't wait to drain him, and he definitely would. But he wasn't him and he would prove that.

"Actually don't answer that. Yes, I want you to be my girlfriend. I want everything that involves you and I being together Cassandra" he gave her a smile and grabbed her hand for the third time that night. She exhaled sharply and nodded.

"Yes, I want that" she smiled then, the uneasiness flowing away and leaving only content.

"Thank God" he murmured and she laughed. The waitress came over and Cass' mood immediately darkened. He wanted to rip the girls throat out for making Cass frown, and she tried making fun of his girls weight, which was pointless. Cass was perfect in his eyes.

"So will you be having dessert?" the girls smile was sickly sweet and his stomach turned. At another point in his life he would have loved the attention, but now he hated it. But he would play this game for Cass.

"Yes actually. How about you meet me later, when is your shift over?" he asked, casting a quick glance to Cass who was glaring murderously at the girl. He caught the smug smirk the girl sent at Cass but chose to ignore it.

"Oh I can leave anytime, I only stayed after to wait on you" she smiled and he nodded, asking for the check. He laid a $20 on the table for the both of them.

'Go outside. I'll lead her to you. Make sure it's somewhere secluded.' He said into her mind, she gave a short nod getting up abruptly and taking off outside of the restaurant.

"I'll grab my things" Sydney said as she walked towards the back, he waited impatiently before she came back out, red lipstick now coating her lips. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, as if she would need that. They walked out together and he led her around back.

"So where are we going handsome?" she questioned as she linked her arm with his. He thought about shoving her but then that wouldn't be near as fun as his actual plans.

"Somewhere more.. Private" he purred and once they reached a dark alleyway she shoved him into the wall. Christ, she was stronger than she looked. Or he just wasn't expecting her to be so bold. She grabbed his shoulders and smashed her lips onto his.

What should he do? He wanted to rip her head off, should he go with an arm so she didn't die quickly? He panicked and pushed her back harshly, the girl stumbled but didn't fall.

"What was that for?" the girl shouted, coming closer. It was then that he looked behind the girl and saw Cassandra standing there, eyes yellow and murderous. She let a snarl rip through her throat and the girl stiffened.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, too afraid to turn around.

"I did, sounded scary" Cass answered for him and the girl turned abruptly to give her a sneer.

"What are you doing here? Can't you see you aren't wanted?" the girl questioned, running her hand up his stomach and to his chest.

"Well I told you I would let you know if I wanted dessert. And I do, want dessert that is." Cass licked her lips and let her eyes glow yellow again, giving the girl an evil smirk. She was so sexy holy fuck.

The girl screamed and turned to run, grabbing his hand. He shook her off and tripped her, causing her to fall onto her hands. A small cry erupting from her mouth and echoing off the empty alley. Cass stalked up to her and grabbed the girls hair in her fist, jerking her head up to look at her.

"Did you actually think he'd want you?" she sneered and the girl whimpered

"You are pretty stupid to think I'd ever choose you over her" he spoke beside her, letting his eyes glow yellow. He mouth opened, trying to form a scream before he clamped his hand over her mouth stopping the noise.

"No you're going to be nice and quiet for us aren't you?" he smiled and the girl shakily nodded. He took his hand off of her mouth.

"Please. I'm sorry. I won't tell anyone, I swear it." Sydney said, he looked at Cass indicating she was running the show. The girl took lead and looked at Cass too.

"I really am sorry! It will never happen again!" she cried and Cass frowned, nodding and tapping her chin in thought.

"You see, I could let you go." the girl started shaking her head up and down violently "buuuuttt, I am so hungry. I really do want dessert." Cass smiled sadly and the girl went to scream again when Cass' eyes flashed again, but Cass was quick, leaping forward to dig her teeth into the girls jugular. Sydney flailed and tried escaping, Marko held her down, though he didn't need to. He met eyes with his girl and she immediately held up the girls wrist, offering it to him. He smirked and joined her in feeding.

He could get used to this

(Marko and Cassandra's date isn't over yet, part 2 coming soon)


	15. xv

_Cass_

Ok, the whole feeding thing was super unplanned and...super messy. She hadn't thought of the potential mess of blood getting on her. The good news, she was wearing black and not white, and her hair was no longer blonde. The bad news? She smelled like a corpse. She would need to wash off somehow and she couldn't very well walk into a store and be like 'yo, I've got blood all over me can I use your bathroom?' That would go over about as well as asking David to put on a tutu… Awfully.

"I am drenched" she spoke suddenly, lifting her dress and cringing when it stuck to her body and made a squelching sound.

"I like the sound of that" Marko licked his lips, a predatory gleam in his eye, he had blood coating his lips and she had never seen something so delicious. The blood had hit the spot, but she definitely preferred seeing Marko post feed.

She walked right up and planted her lips on his, licking his bottom subtly to clear the blood, he laughed into her mouth but let her suck his bottom lip into her mouth to clear any lingering blood drops still attached. He groaned when she moaned and sucked a tad harder, her fangs descending and piercing his lip, his blood now mixing with the waitress. She pulled away to stop herself from taking this too far, he smiled and rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately, effectively smearing more blood on her. He then began to lick her face clean and her whole body went hot. It wasn't just casual licks, no he was licking her in a sensual way and she needed to back away before they both became naked in this alleyway.

"We.. we need." she tried breathing out but his tongue traveled south, clearing her throat and biting softly returning the favor she had paid him of tasting his blood, now he was tasting hers. "Clean up the body" she finally managed though it was breathless and half assed. He sighed when he got to the hollow of her throat, licking and then backing off. He effortlessly tugged the body up, and threw it into the nearest dumpster. She watched in awe as his muscles strained in his biceps, the way his shirt rose to reveal the bottom half of his stomach, and she definitely enjoyed the way his jeans fit his butt.

"Won't someone smell it?" she asked as he felt around in his pocket, producing a match. He gave her an eyebrow raise before lighting the match and tossing it inside the dumpster, the contents igniting immediately. Well that makes sense. "Now what?" she questioned

"Now we leave, get cleaned up, and then let me win you something on the boardwalk" he smiled and took her hand, leading her away from the scene at a quick pace. They made it back to the bike before they heard a boom.

Uh oh

She heard Marko chuckle, when she realized she had said the words aloud. She rolled her eyes before swinging herself on the bike, he started it and she heard a shout over the roar. She then heard screaming, and she briefly wondered what the matter was, if someone had seen the body or the dumpster had blown up and killed someone. She didn't have long to think about it before Marko was speeding off into the night, the silent killers escaping.

"We'll stop somewhere on the boardwalk, I know a place that won't question anything" his voice sounded nervous, and that made her nervous. She didn't like when he was afraid, because it usually meant something bad was going to happen.

"Orrrr, we can go by the beach house" she suggested, noting the nervousness and trying to put him at ease.

He shook his head "no, we have to go here" he responded and his voice held finality, and something akin to fear. She could only hug him tighter and hope things went smoothly at this place. She didn't understand why they HAD to go anywhere, but she would obey his wishes to avoid a fight. They arrived at the boardwalk, close to the middle, somewhere she had yet to be. He got off and didn't bother to help her, and it made her nervous. She hoped she didn't look as bad as she felt, but she hoped that Marko wouldn't take them anywhere that would cause suspicion. He walked into a video store, a middle aged man with glasses sat right in the middle behind the counter. His stare fixed pointendly on them, or more accurately, on her.

"Max" Marko drawed and she could hear the uneasiness in his tone, she tried to look into his mind to get a read on what this situation was, but he had a mental mind block up. She had to ask him how to do one of those, she was tired of him and the other boys reading into her thoughts. They got her into trouble and they made fun of her too much.

"Marko" the man sneered and Cass felt anger bubble up inside of her. Like hell anyone was going to rude to Marko. "Who is this?" he spoke through gritted teeth and Cass had never wanted shrink herself more. Marko opened his mouth to speak before Cass beat him to it.

"I'm Cassandra, who are you?" she spit, crossing her arms and giving him a defiant look. He had no reason to be rude, she didn't even know him, and he didn't know her.

"Yes, that is the problem. I don't know you" he narrowed his eyes and Cass' entire body stiffened, ice shooting through her veins. Could it be that they weren't the only vampires in Santa Carla? "Well you don't think I would let such young adults rule this town, do you?" he answered her question and to be quite honest she didn't know how to respond. Marko was tense in front of her, his fist clenching and unclenching, she wanted to grab his hand to soothe him, but she didn't think he would want her to in front of Max.

"Cassandra, this is Max. Our leader. Max, this is Cassandra. My...mate" when he said the word mate he visibly stiffened, the word sounding foreign in his voice. Almost like he still couldn't believe it himself.

"You have completed the mating ritual?" Max cocked his head and Cass realized that she really didn't understand a damn thing about being a vampire. Or about mates. Or really about anything because before coming here she didn't think vampires existed, she thought they just lived in the fantasy books she used to read when she was younger.

"Well, no but.." Marko started before Max interrupted him

"Then she is not your mate, not yet" Max stated and Cass exhaled sharply. Not mates? Not yet? What did that mean? Had Marko lied when he said they were mates?

"She was just turned. I'm not going to force her into something she doesn't understand yet." Marko seethed and took a step back, blocking her from Max's view.

"Watch your tone, you're lucky I don't kill her and then you for being so stupid. You didn't even ask me if you could turn her." Max snapped and Cass was truly afraid in that moment.

"She was dying" Marko replied, his fists clenched tightly now.

"Not my problem. You are to come to me first and speak to me about a potential turn, then I can evaluate and give you the go ahead or my disapproval. You did none of these things, and I'm half tempted to kill her to teach you a lesson in obedience." Max growled and Marko looked lost, she felt dread fill him up, but she also felt anger, but that was from her. Who was he to talk about her like she wasn't there?

"Don't speak about me as if I'm not here. How exactly would killing me teach him a lesson? It would just prove you're an asshole" she growled out, stepping out from behind Marko, he reached out for her but she shook him off. She was done with people walking all over her. She promised herself that once she was free of Levi, she would stick up for herself no matter what. 'Cass what the hell? Let me do the talking, he will kill you!' Marko's voice was frantic in her brain and for a half a second she felt bad, 'You're not doing so hot' she replied back and he huffed at her in response.

Max and Cassandra stared at each other for several beats before a grin spread across his face. "I like you. You don't back down and your protective, responsible. I can see that from your memories. You'll keep the boys on track and they need a little feminine guidance every once in awhile. Welcome to the family. Please go clean yourselves up, you reek of blood." he sniffed and then turned away, grabbing a stack of movies and going to return them to their spots. Cass breathed a sigh of relief and casted a glance at Marko, his mouth was set into a small O but his eyes were sparking with anger.

Max's head had tilted backwards when he said bathroom so Cass gathered the fact that the bathroom was in the back, like most places. She started off towards there, eager to get the blood out of her hair and to was her dress the best she could. Once reaching the bathroom, she turned to Marko who still wasn't looking at her. Rather at the floor. She shrugged and went inside, closing the door behind her and ripping her dress off immediately. She placed it inside of the sink and turned the hot water on, squeezing some soap onto the fabric and rubbing it together. She scrubbed until she was sure all of the blood was out, and even some of the color, before hanging it on the railing and starting on her hair.

The door swung open and she let out a startled screech, covering herself the best she could before realizing it was only Marko.

"Jesus Christ" she grumbled, setting back to work on her hair. She watched him close the door through the mirror, before connecting eyes with him through it. He looked pissed.

"Cassandra, that was incredibly stupid" he seethed and she decided to play stupid.

"What leave the door unlocked?" she questioned, breaking eye contact and leaning down, placing a few strands under the running water and watching the water turn pink. His body pressed against hers suddenly and she gasped at the sensation, he wrapped a hand around her shoulders, pulling her up against him so he could look at her through the mirror again.

"He could have killed you" he spoke seriously

"So could your motorcycle" she retorted

"Not anymore" he spit

"If we crashed into a wooden fence" she offered and his eyes casted upwards as if asking why him.

"Cass this is serious. That was dangerous" he met her eyes again and tried to show the seriousness of the situation through his eyes. It's not like she didn't know, but things were fine and they couldn't dwell on the past.

"But we're fine. If you didn't think things were going to go well, you wouldn't have brought me here, I trust you" she gave him a tiny smile

"Max is unpredictable, I didn't know what was going to happen. But I was hoping for the best" he spoke honestly and she nodded.

"Things are fine. Can I wash my hair out now?" she raised a brow and his eyes glanced down, as if finally just now noticing she was almost completely naked. His eyes widened, drinking in her form, his eyes darkening in lust.

"Cassandra" he grit and she giggled "Back 0ff" she grinned and bent down, poking her ass out just a little bit more than necessarily and continued the washing of her hair. She heard the audible gulp, before his hands slid down and grabbed her hips tightly. She moaned softly and pressed herself against him more. He leaned down on top of her, sucking her ear into his mouth and grinding softly into her. She could feel his hardness poking her in just the right spot, and the temperature in the room increased tenfold.

Shit how long had it been since her last orgasm? It felt like too long ago. She needed him, in any way that she could get him.

She reached behind her and grabbed him through his jeans, he groaned and whispered softly into her ear "think you can stay quiet baby? I'll get you off if you think you can control yourself" she nodded obediently and she felt his smirk against her neck before he nibbled on her ear lobe. He reached around her and ran his fingers from her throat, down her stomach, and then in the waistband of her panties. She drew in a sharp breath when he unexpectedly rubbed 2 fingers over her covered clit. The sensation shot shock waves throughout her whole body and she had to fight to remain quiet.

He was about to dive his fingers inside of her panties when a loud knock was erupted on the door, the both of them jumping, Marko standing upright and Cass groaning in annoyance. Marko opened the door slightly to see the intruder.

"Yes Max?" Marko questioned and Cass wrung out the last few blood stained strands of hair.

"I can literally smell you horny shits out here, I told you to clean up not further the stench. Get out!" he shouted before slamming the door. She covered her mouth before a large laugh could be let out.

"To be continued" Marko winked and Cass rolled her eyes at him. She grabbed her dress while he washed off the little specks of blood he had coating his neck. She wrung her dress out in the toilet before pushing her dress under the dryer and letting it dry quicker. The material had dried a lot quicker than she anticipated while hanging up so it didn't take long it to become almost completely dry. By the time she was redressed Marko was slouching on the wall with a pout on his face. She laughed and shook her head at him.

"Pervert" she teased him

"You love it" he mocked

"Do I?" she questioned, tapping her chin

"I hope so, cause this pervert is yours" he grinned and kissed her hard before leading her out of the small bathroom.

"Bye Max, have a nice night!" Cass called and she saw Max wave them off in annoyance, not bothering to look at them. Once they were out of the shop they set off towards the busy part of the boardwalk. "He seems lonely" she commented after awhile. Marko shrugged before nodding

"Yeah he only has us" and immediately she felt for the man. That must get incredibly lonely, especially because it seemed the boys didn't really visit him very much. She would put it upon herself to spend some time with their leader.

"So how about that stuffed animal?" Marko asked as he led her to several game booths, choosing a ball toss first. She stepped back and watched him in awe, the light hit his hair in just the right spot, creating the illusion of a halo. He stepped back and took aim, the muscles in his arm coiling as he threw the ball, hitting his mark and knocking all of the bottle down in one throw. Every customer and the attendant stared at him, jaws on the floor and eyes wide open. "Whatcha want babe?" he called, looking at her and winking. She scanned the animals and saw a dolphin, she pointed and the guy immediately pulled it down. Shoving it into Marko's arms and shooing them away. They both laughed as they walked hand in hand towards other games, they both went separate ways to win more things. She was at the ring toss when a younger guy came up behind her.

"You're pretty good" he said as he leaned next to her, watching her take aim and the ring land on top of the bottle. She jumped slightly but regarded the guy slowly, his brown hair was swept back in a messy way and his brown eyes looked caramel under the light. "Yeah didn't think I would be" she shrugged before throwing another ring, watching it land on another bottle.

"There's a secret. What is it? I've never been able to hit one, these things are rigged" he glared at the game and a laugh bursted out of her mouth. She couldn't really get a gauge on him, not sure if he was just waiting to go and be friendly, or something else so she decided he wasn't a threat at the moment.

"No secret. Just have good aim, I guess" she decided where the last ring would land before tossing it, it circled before dropping down onto the table. Damn. Only 3 landed, but at least she had won a prize.

"I've never seen you around before, you just move here?" he cocked his head and she raised a brow.

"How could you have possibly seen me? This place is always packed" she said before telling the attendant that she wanted the wolf before turning to walk away.

"Well you don't act like a tourist, trust me they are easy to spot. But I would have definitely noticed you before, if you weren't new" he clarified before pointing to 3 girls who were looking around excitedly and saying they needed to find a photobooth. "Those are tourists, you're nothing like that" he spoke again and she nodded before pursing her lips.

"I'm not new, new. But I live here now" she cryptially spoke and he nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets walking with her now. Warning bells went off in her head and she looked around for Marko. She didn't see him so she walked towards another game.

"So can I have the opportunity to win you something?" he asked and jerked his head towards a dart booth. She spotted Marko there as he was choosing an animal, he turned and saw her and the boy. His eyes narrowed and she could practically see the steam about to come out of his ears. She thought about telling the boy exactly where he could shove a won prize before remembering Marko and hers conversation from earlier. He shamelessly flirted with the waitress, and teased her when they woke up. She could use this in her favor.

"Sure" she breathed and followed him over to the game. Marko watched with narrowed eyes and didn't say anything when they walked around him. The guy paid before looking at her "don't make fun of me now. Not everyone's aim is as good as yours" he smirked and she laughed before nodding.

"I'm sure you'll find a way" she smiled and he went to aim before stopping, "I'm Cameron by the way, I just now realized I never told you my name and you've been following a stranger around." he gave her a sheepish smile and she laughed. She was mostly laughing at Marko's glare, but he didn't need to know that.

"I'm Cassandra, now we aren't strangers. Shoot!" she commanded and he tilted his head to focus, his tongue poking out before throwing and hitting the balloon. It deflated slowly and she glared at the attendant.

"A total scam" Cass commented and the guy nodded, a mock glare on his face.

"How dare they?" he questioned and the attendant became uncomfortable, and she decided she kind of liked this guy. Not like she liked Marko, but as in a friend like Dwayne, but not someone as close. An acquaintance.

'Cassandra, step away from him right now' Marko growled into her mind, she side-eyed him and smirked.

"Yeah what did you air those balloons up with? Cement?" she deadpanned and the guy shifted from foot to foot. Cameron laughed before giving her a high five. Marko chose that moment to swoop in next to her, giving Cameron a glare and wrapping a protective arm around her.

Cameron gave Marko a bewildered look before giving her a questioning look. They all darted eyes between each other while she thought about what to say. This was funny to her, and she wasn't actually harming anyone. Cameron wasn't shamelessly flirting with her, he was just being friendly.

"Uhhhh." Cameron mumbled and Cass wanted to laugh

"Sorry, this is my brother. He is super protective, Bobby, I told you to stop trying to scare everyone away! It's rude!" she scolded and Marko stared wide eyed at her completely in confusion.

"Brother?" Cameron questioned untrusting, probably because they looked nothing alike.

"Yep, just a big teddy bear this one" she clapped Marko's back and walked away from the 2 so she could let out a few quiet laughs at both of their facial expressions.

"Uh, I'm sorry man. Didn't know you were there" she heard Cameron say, and then saw him scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Bobby?" Marko questioned stupidly, obviously not paying attention to the guy in front of him

"Yeah, I'm Cameron" he stuck his hand out to shake Marko's but he ignored him

"Who the fuck?" Marko questioned again, glaring at Cass

"Uhm… I just said Cameron" he tilted his head and backed away slowly, clearly thinking that the boy in front of him was insane. "Is he ok?" Cameron asked when he got close enough to her.

"Yeah he gets like this. I think it's the lights, they daze him" she mused aloud and she saw him nod his head beside her.

"Right, I'm gonna...go. I'll see you around though Cassandra?" he asked and she looked at him, nodding. He looked at Marko again, opening his mouth, probably to ask if he was going to be around, or maybe going to ask that he not be around. He closed his mouth before giving her a tight lipped smile and a small smile before hurriedly walking away. Cass started laughing once he was gone and walked up to Marko, laying her hands on his shoulders.

"That was hilarious" she praised and he glared at her again "Who is Bobby?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know a Bobby. Just a random name I thought. You have to admit that was funny though, he was terrified." she snorted and shook her head

"He should be, I'm going to kill him" he scoffed and she placed her hands on her hips. "No you are not. He did nothing wrong" she huffed and he gave a really look.

"He was flirting with you" he deadpanned and she shook her head "he was not" she retorted and he sighed heavily, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Take me back to the cave, please" he nodded and led her back to his motorcycle, clutching the things he had won in his hand. She swooped them all into her arms before pressing herself against him so she could hold onto them and him.

"You're incredibly hot when you're jealous" she breathed into his ear when he took off and he tensed and swerved, narrowly missing a person. The person shouted 'watch it' before continuing their journey. He didn't respond, only drove faster towards their destination. He parked harshly and she flew into him abruptly. He got off quickly and she followed after him quietly, taking the stairs better than she normally did.

Had she pushed him too far? Had she gone overboard? She had only meant it as a joke, and she would probably never see the guy again. She was just trying to rile him up, not make him angry. See, she wasn't good at this. This whole dating thing. They weren't even dating 24 hours before she fucked things up. She was so stupid. He took off in the opposite direction as her room and she frowned at the back of his figure, setting off towards her room at a slower speed. Guess I'm sleeping alone, she thought. She threw the animals down onto the side chair, looking them over and smiling at all of them. Albeit, it was a small sad smile, but she was still happy about all of them. He had won them for her, besides the wolf, which she had chosen for him. She thought it would be funny, and she really did wonder if there was such a thing as werewolves, she didn't see why not if there were vampires. She was tugging her dress over her head before she was suddenly horizontal on the bed, the dress covering her eyes and effectively tying her hands together.

"You think it's funny to tease me?" Marko snarled and pinned her down hard against the bed. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little turned on, but also a little scared at his forcefulness.

"Good, be scared. Because you're going to be punished. Who knows, you might actually like it" He kissed his way up her stomach and she tried to untangle herself from her dress. He ripped it off of her hands, and she immediately met his eyes. They were dark and unreadable, a ferocity in them that she had never seen before. She didn't know whether to be frightened or turned on.

He pulled out rope about started to bind her hands together, and then typing them to the bed post.

"Teasing lost girls get punished, especially teasing girlfriends" he growled and tightened the rope to where it was almost unbearably tight. "Don't move, and maybe I'll lessen the sentence" he smirked when she let out a low whine. Turned on, definitely turned on.

"I'm gonna make you forget about Levi, Bobby, that lame ass from the boardwalk, hell I might make you forget your name, baby"


	16. xvi

**(Ok, so for starters I'm sorry. I haven't updated in like...2.5 million years, so by deepest apologies. But I don't come back empty handed, here is a chapter and some..wisdom I suppose. Do not get fake nails! Did you hear that? No? Ok, I'll repeat myself just this once. DO NOT GET FAKE NAILS! I had them on for 2 months [gross I know] but I had been trying to get them off and they just would not budge, even when I soaked them. And one day, I had my thumb nail off of something and well.. I got the fake nail off, but I am also missing my complete real thumb nail as well. The pain was excruciating and it is still sore. So I had to learn to type all over again while not using my thumb, which was challenging. So, just in case… DON'T GET FAKE NAILS! Enjoy :) )**

 _Cass_

This is what dying felt like, she was sure of it. Her whole body was on fire, and the temperature seemed to rise every few seconds. If something didn't happen soon, she was positive she was going to spontaneously combust. He was teasing her, blinding the line between pleasure and pain. His lips were scorching across her naked body in slow movements, his fingers setting a fast pace inside of her, slowing down once she neared her climax. It was torturous, she wanted to scream at him, pull her own hair out. But neither of those would bring her an orgasm.

"Marko, please" she whimpered for the twelth time, he smirked continuing his actions just as always. His fingers picked up the pace and she was probably going to pass out. She had never been edged before, and while in the beginning it was fun and new, now she wasn't so sure she liked it. "I..I can't" she all but sobbed, her words broken and her voice shattered. She tried moving away from him, she would rather go to bed then continue this torture.

"Are you sure about that baby? You don't want me to get you off?" he questioned innocently and she was 0.5 seconds away from clobbering the daylights out of him.

"If you're going to do something, then DO IT. Or else I'm going to bed!" she threatened. She was tired, and horny, and kind of hungry, and angry, and horny and probably a few other things.

"Aww baby, am I upsetting you?" he cooed at her and a small snarl ripped through her throat. He pulled his fingers out and licked them clean slowly, humming in delight occasionally. "Since you asked so nicely, I'll appease you" his smile turned into something akin to evil and angel all at once. He dropped his pants quickly, and she clawed at his shirt until it was in shreds floating towards the cave floor. She could not wait another god dang second. "Don't be hasty, Cassandra. We have all the time in the world" he covered her body with his.

"Fuck off" she replied, not missing a single beat. She pulled him impossibly closer, wrapping her legs around him tightly and bucking up into his hardness. He slipped across her folds and she almost finished right then and there, and judging from his strangled moan he was right there with her. He grinded himself against her and stars exploded in her vision, she was close, so close. She reached down and tightened her hold on him, giving him a few pumps before guiding him into her entrance. He pushed in with little to no resistance and she screamed at the feeling of him filling her so completely.

"So good" he mumbled into her neck giving it a few licks and bites. She was dizzy with lust and could barely make out his words, getting lost in the feeling of his slow and deep thrusts.

"Faster" she growled and she aimed her hips further up, causing him to slip in deeper. They both groaned at the new angle, him finally obliging her needs and picking up his pace considerably. She wasn't going to last long, she definitely knew that. His hand came to brush the hair out of her face, cupping it and then slipping his tongue into her mouth, all while fucking her into the mattress. His tongue scraped against her teeth, finding her fang and cutting his tongue. His blood flowed into her mouth and she moaned at the taste. She pulled away, her eyes glowing yellow, hungry for more than just sex. He tilted his neck at her in offering and she took it greedily, biting into him quickly and drinking deeply. He moved his head to the other side and bit into her neck way more gently than she did, and only then did they finish together. A blinding light flashed behind her eyelids, pleasure like anything she had ever experienced pulsing throughout her entire body in heavy crashing waves. She would have screamed had her mouth not been latched onto Marko's neck. He let out a moan and collapsed on top of her, pumping himself inside of her a few more times, trying to prolong both of their orgasms.

He let her neck go, and she reluctantly released him. She heard a roar inside of her mind, and Marko winced. He pulled out and began getting dressed quickly, throwing clothes at her haphazardly.

"Get dressed. Paul is coming, he is not happy. And he is not seeing you naked" he stared pointedly at her and she dressed as quickly as she could in her state of mind. She wanted nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep with her boyfriend beside her.

Paul flew into the room suddenly, grabbing Marko by the throat and pinning him to the wall. Cass had barely blinked and she missed the whole thing.

"You marked her!" Paul roared and Marko choked a tad bit "Mine!" he yelled again and she was confused.

"What?" she mumbled from behind them, standing up and walking over to them. She grabbed Paul's arm, trying to jerk him away from Marko. She wanted nothing more than to protect him, seeing him pinned to the wall made her whole body flare in fury, something close to the hounds of hell rising to the surface. "Let him go!" she growled, her eyes flashing and her talons sharpening.

"Like hell" Paul spat back at her, not bothering to look at her. "He's dead" he snarled and Marko tried to remain calm. He was pissed, but he was trying to save them both a fight.

"I said let him go!" she jerked his arm again and he snarled at her, throwing his arm out and knocking into her. She stumbled back onto the bed and his eyes widened.

"Cass, I'm so sor.." his words were cut off when he was thrown backwards. Marko had pushed him back, his hand now crushing around Paul's throat.

"Don't you dare touch her. You're out of line. She's mine" Marko threatened and his eyes now flashed a brilliant gold.

"You marked her" Paul choked out and Marko merely nodded.

"It was my right, we're mates. We completed the bond. She is not yours Paul, never was, never will be" his words were spiteful and she found herself leaning towards him. His possessive words and actions causing her body to ignite all over again. They both took a deep breath and looked at her, Paul's eyes now flashing.

"Cassandra, stop it" Marko pleaded and she didn't know how. She was so turned on by the sight of him that she thought she was going to burst. Take deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. But shit was it hard. Like she hoped he would be.. Shit no, no. Ok, puppies are cute and fluffy and they are extra cute when they have floppy ears and they fall over.

"Bond?" she finally squeaked and looked up to find both of them staring at her incredulously.

"We are not getting a puppy!" she heard David shout from somewhere deeper in the cave and she hadn't even wanted one. Well, hadn't thought of it really, but now she was sad.

"But!" she whined to no one in particular and the tension seemed to bleed out of the room, thankfully. Marko took a deep breath and backed away, Paul reached a hand up to his throat and let out a slight cough. He immediately turned to her and reached, she flinched accidentally and she frowned at the crestfallen look on his face, as well as the low growl that Marko had let out.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Cass, I'm so sorry" Paul whispered quietly, his eyes darting around the room in shame.

"You didn't" she spoke and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Are you sure?" he whispered and she shook her head yes. "I really am sorry, I just got so mad and I don't know why, I've never been that mad before in my entire life." his voice was twisted in confusion as well as his facial features.

"You were mad because they officially mated. The sire in you felt like you were no longer needed and it threw you into rage" David spoke as he walked into the room. The place felt oddly small now that the 4 of them were packed into it, Dwayne chose to walk in as well and the room shrunk considerably. Marko made his way to her, grabbing her up and winding his arms around her body tightly. She nuzzled her way into him until she was comfortable, letting out a sigh of content.

"Can someone explain?" she asked drowsily, post sex and the pull of the sun making her sleepy. That and her boyfriend felt warm now that they were the same temperature and he was so snuggly.

David snorted and Marko's cheeks heated up slightly, "nothing to hide, you're a cuddle bug" she whispered and kissed his cheek. Paul fake gagged and David raised a brow at them in disdain, clearly not wanting to be in the same room as them, but knowing he needed to be.

"You're my mate" Marko answered her question when he curbed his embarrassment.

"Yeah I know" she mumbled back and gave him a quizzical look.

"Like officially now" he re-worded but they still didn't make any sense. She knew the otherworldly orgasm had something to do with his words but she couldn't really piece together everything without a bit more insight. The thought had her body heating up significantly.

They all cringed besides Marko, who smirked smugly and kissed her forehead. "Your otherworldly orgasm had everything to do with it. To become full mates you must feed off of one another while simultaneously having sex. It increases the bond and seals us as one" he grinned and she shrunk into him. She really needed to learn how to put a block on her mind, this was embarrassing. "Babe, you can tell me when the sex is good. I don't mind" he laughed and she shrunk even further into him.

"Shut up" she grit out and he chuckled

"Now that we got that taken care of" David scratched his neck and began backing out the room slowly, as if hoping no one would notice his sneaky departure. "Don't have loud sex when we're here, it makes me sick. And I haven't felt nauseous in fucking years, I don't want to start now. And… stop turning her on so much Marko, it's distracting" he sniffed and then he was gone in an instant, dust particles floating around in his haste to get away. Dwayne raised a brow at them and one corner of his mouth lifted up before he was gone too.

"I really am sorry. To both of you" Paul stood up and offered them a sheepish smile and they both nodded back to him.

"It's ok man, I'd be mad to." Marko smirked and Paul and her rolled their eyes at him

"True" Paul grinned, he shot her a wink and then he abruptly left.

"Well that was….interesting" she offered and he laughed slightly

"Yeah, something like that." He laid them both back and pulled up the covers, snuggling her into him and kissing her cheek.

"Will sex always feel like that?" she mumbled sleepily, the sun rising pulling her under fast.

"I don't know, but I hope so" he squeezed her and she felt herself nod before sleep overcame her.

Later, Dwayne and Cass are making their way down the boardwalk. Erin had gotten a new job and they were excited to go visit her. Even if the place was packed. Erin was standing outside of the bar, hands on hips and eyes narrowed at a woman holding a baby. They looked to be in a heated discussion, Erin's anger flaring noticeably. Dwayne and Cass shared a wide-eyed look, Cass muttering a small "uh-oh" before making their way towards the arguing pair.

"I will not hold your baby!" Erin barked and the lady looked like she was about to explode.

"Please, this is the only public restroom and I have to go to the bathroom, and obviously my son cannot go into this loud bar" the lady replied and the little boy let out a small giggle. Erin glared at the baby, daring it to giggle again. She was obviously extremely unhappy his manners.

"I'll make an exception!" Erin seethed back and both Dwayne and Cass' eyeballs flung between the two like ping-pong balls.

"Please I will pay you! It's urgent, woman to woman!" The ladies voice had shrunk and Dwayne's eyes widened considerably, backing up a few steps in sheer terror. Cass sniffed and realized what the lady was referring to, she too took a step back. Women on periods were unpredictable.

"You want me to give you a tampon too?" Erin grumbled, eyeing the baby like it was a foul creature from hell.

"No!" the lady snapped "I cannot wear tampons!" they all shared a look of disgust, Cass mostly because she didn't understand how people could walk around with vaginal blood resting against them all day. She heard Dwayne gag slightly, and she looked at him, daring him to say something stupid. His mouth opened before he saw Cass' eyes tighten, his mouth closing abruptly and his eyes leaving her. Good, he was learning.

"Fine!" Erin finally yelled, her hands going up in the air. The lady all but shoved her child into Erin's arms and rushed past her. Erin looked at the little boy and then finally noticed them standing there.

"Take the baby Cass" she held out the thing towards her and Cass looked up at her in horror.

"I don't want to take the baby, Erin" Cass' voice was a mere squeak and she took a large step backwards, shoving Dwayne in front of her. He looked at Erin, to the baby, to Erin and then to Cass. He shook his head frantically and scrambled to hide behind Cass, though that was completely impossible considering his height. Dwayne was a tree of a man, and Cass compared to him was rather like...a bush. 'For a vampire, you sure are a pussy' she grumbled to him inside of his mind, 'look who's talking' he snapped back at her.

"Cass, take this baby right now. I have to get back to work, you don't want me to get fired do you?" Erin asked sweetly, trying to make her feel bad. Not happening.

"I could sleep at night...day. There are other jobs" she rushed out, taking a step back when Erin began walking towards her. Both her and Dwayne backing up frantically.

"Take it!" Erin screamed and both of the vampires winced from the shout, feeling it rattle their bones. Cass in fear of Erin jostling her bones again reached out and took the baby hesitantly. Erin spun on her heel and went back inside. Cass held the baby at arms length, not sure what to do in this moment. She had never held a baby before, how does one hold a baby? She looked around quizzically to see if anyone near them had a child, so she could mimic them, no luck.

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to hold it" Dwayne spoke, his eyes resting solely on the small child.

"Well then you hold it" she shoved it towards him and he made a small screeching sound in his throat, shaking his head back and forth and skipping around her and the baby. The child looked up at her and smiled. Awh, ok that was cute. It's eyes crossed slightly and she panicked, thinking they had jostled it too much. He blinked and opened his tiny mouth, a sound that was probably a sneeze but was borderline a scream and definitely shouldn't have come from a baby came out. Along with some snot. Nevermind, not cute. She grimaced and was thankful she was still holding him at arm's length, or the damage done would have been fatal. Dwayne stared at the baby in disgust when it started giggling.

"Why is it laughing? None of this is funny!" she snarled and Dwayne began snickering, she whirled and shot him her deadliest glare.

"Hey Dwayne! C…. baby?" Paul stopped abruptly, David and Marko coming to a halt beside him, wonder, disgust, and confusion crossing their face, respectively. All them had panicked thoughts whirling through their brains, mostly; how, who, what, when and a lot more how's and what's.

"Is there something I should know about?" Marko questioned hesitantly, looking from her to the baby. "I know we've had sex but… I don't think" he stopped and began counting on his fingers.

"9 months" Paul offered, "I haven't known her for 9 months. Not yours, man" Paul shrugged though his eyes were still wide, but amusement was coating his features now.

"It's not MY baby!" she seethed "It's Erin's" she shouted and all the boys eyes shot up to Dwayne.

"WHAT!" David yelled

"How the fuck?" Marko questioned

"Congrats man!" Paul whooped, smiling dazedly, before stopping. "No wait, we haven't known Erin for 9 months either. I'm sorry man" Paul's smile turned sheepish and Cass blanched.

"What the fuck did you smoke?" her eyes narrowed at him and he shook his head, a frown overcoming his lips.

"I just remembered I gotta go find some grass after this" he nodded. She wanted to protest and tell him he definitely didn't need to go buy any drug, he needed a whole new brain.

"Ok.. so? Baby?" David gestured towards the baby and Cass wondered when this kid's mom would be back. She was taking an awfully long time. Especially when she only had to put a pad on, tampons were different. You had to insert them just the right way or your vagina would be hurting something fierce if it was inserted incorrectly. Quick though, and efficient if she did say so herself. But a pad, you just laid down on your underwear and bled onto it, how long could that take? She was rather glad she no longer had periods. David made a noise in the back of his throat and looked at her in disgust, but he was definitely in agreement with her.

"Cass, don't think about stuff like that.. Please" Marko pleaded, his face stretching into utter horror. She exhaled sharply, and began thinking about what a pad looked like, especially when it needs to be changed. And then she thought of tampons and how they had to go in, and pulling them out and the blood that coated them.

"Ew" Paul mumbled though you could tell he was a little curious.

"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" she shrieked at them and they all flinched, noses wrinkled and completely scarred.

"Why would you think about that?" Marko shuttered.

The child then began to wail, arms flinging out. Cass' eyes widened, shushing it. They all winced when the crying got an octave higher.

"Make it stop!" David moaned, covering his ears.

"It's like a siren!" Marko added

"My ears" Paul groaned

"What am I supposed to do? Ask it?" she yelled, rocking it as best as she could. He stopped crying minimally, though short shrieks still escaped. Paul let out a frantic "yes!" at her question and she stared at him in pure hatred."Where the fuck is the mom?" she looked around inside and didn't see her.

"Erin?" Paul questioned and she shook her head.

"For shit's sake. I think it pooped" she grumbled and held it out as far as she could. They all stepped back. Traitors, all of them. "Motherfucker, it stinks!"

"Your friend" David said snidely

"His girlfriend" she sniffed at Dwayne and he shrugged sheepishly.

The mom came rushing out looking around for Erin, and stopped short when she saw Cass holding her baby.

"What are you doing with my son? Why are you holding him like that?" she screeched and took large steps to get to her.

"What took you so long? And why would I hold him close? He reeks." she placed him into her hands and took several steps back. "Good luck!" she saluted and turned, going to finally sit inside the bar.

"I can't win" she heard the lady say. She felt sort of bad, but not enough to help. She sat at the bar and glared darkly at Erin, who proceeded to ignore her.

"You owe me.. So much. I can't think that high right now because the stench of the baby has addled my brain.. But it's a lot!" she finished and they all nodded with her. Cass wasn't the only one scarred but she certainly got the worst of it.

"Dramatic" Erin grumbled though she set down a beer in front of her, a sign of peace. She gulped it down but shook her head.

"Not even close!" her eyes narrowed and Erin huffed in annoyance.

"Where have you guys been?" she questioned and Cass contemplated where they had been. Well, where she was. Which was mostly under Marko, where she was content. Definitely must be on top next time though.

'Definitely' Marko winked at her and grabbed her thigh, stroking circles into it and causing gooseflesh to rise.

"Around" David answered for them, giving the couple a side eyed look "besides Marko and Cassandra, who have in other words been with each other" he glared and Erin grimaced at the thought.

"Gross" she cringed and everyone sent their agreements but she wasn't paying much attention because Marko's eyes had darkened and he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His whole body went rigid and he stared darkly outside, his eyes darting around in search of a threat.

"Marko?" she questioned softly and he ignored her. This caught the attention of the other males and they all tensed.

"What is it?" Dwayne questioned, his fists clenching

"Do you smell that?" he replied and they all sniffed, David let out a low growl and stalked out of the bar, the rest following him until it was just Cass and Erin by themselves.

"Well fuck me right?" she mumbled in confusion

"What just happened?" Erin quizzed and she wished she could answer.

"Beats me. I'm gonna check it out, stay put" she gave her friend a reassuring smile and slid out of the chair, meeting the boys outside. She grabbed Paul since he was the closest and he looked down at her in shock. Well that's not good. Vampires were supposed to sense everything.

"What's wrong?" she whispered and he shook his head

"Cassandra, go inside. Now" Marko's eyes narrowed and she narrowed her own right back.

"No" she defied him and he growled lowly, "tell me what's wrong. I'm a part of this now" she crosses her arms and stood her ground.

"She should know" Dwayne butted in and David nodded his head. Paul was reluctant she could tell, but he wasn't going to say anything either way.

"No, she needs to go inside" Marko huffed

"No chance" she seethed and David groaned

"We caught a scent. It was faint, but it was.. familiar" David answered her and Marko snarled slightly. It wasn't at any of them, but the thought of familiar had him on edge.

"Bad familiar.. Or good?" she questioned and they all stared at her, blinking and unsure of how to answer.

"Bad" Paul offered and she frowned

"How bad?"

"Bad as in Thomas" Dwayne answered and if her heart was still beating, it would have stopped.

"But.. But" she sputtered "that's impossible" she exploded

"We know"

She couldn't fucking win.


	17. xvii

_Cass_

A beat went by. Silence. Another beat. More silence.

"Okay, someone had better tell me what the fuck is going on before I lose my shit!" she yelled throwing her hands up into the air frantically and looking at each of the boys, not a regular stare but an annoyed one. One that promised pain. They all looked reluctant to share any information with her, and she would bet her left ass cheek it was per Marko's request. When she tried to communicate with him telepathically, all she got was a wall. It was this way with all of the boys. Even if she still couldn't hear all of David's thoughts, not yet, she knew there would be a wall. She had heard him groan at her one time, and definitely heard him say "son of a bitch" when some of the glitter that still resided in Paul's hair was on his jacket. Dwayne normally had a wall up, but he had been working with her, to make sure she could hear him. Always the protector of the group. But the one that saddened her the most was Paul. He was usually the most open with her, and he normally forgot to put a wall around his mind. This was both good and really bad sometimes.

"I caught a small whiff of Thomas' scent. I know the scent from anywhere, but it was too far away to be accurate, and not at all possible" Marko said quizzically, obviously just as confused as everyone else in the group.

"Alright what the hell happened?" Erin barged out of the bar, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Unsure" Cass spoke honestly, Erin's eyes narrowed a fraction more, looking for the lie and not finding one, moving her judging look to Dwayne. Who at least looked impassive, but no less confused.

"We don't know Erin. But you should stay with us for tonight." David said, his eyes roaming constantly, looking for any potential threats.

"Or for good" Dwayne mumbled and all eyes went to him. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she definitely wasn't the only one feeling it.

"I just mean.. You know.. For protection.. And things" he verbally stumbled his way through a semi sentence and she visibly cringed for him. Erin looked thoughtful and a little nauseated and a lot confused. Yeah, she wasn't sticking around for that conversation.

"Marko with me!" she grabbed his upper arm and drug him down the walk way, saluting to the remaining group and she and Marko left them in the dust. He could have resisted, but he chose not to. Which was smart. Once they reached a more secluded area she whirled on him.

"What's bothering you? Tell me who Thomas is." she tried to keep the tremble out of her voice, but she knew he heard it. He closed his eyes tightly and waited a couple beats for responding.

"I don't think we should be away from the guys. You don't need to worry about anything, we'll handle it." He took her hand and tried going back the way they came, only she was pissed, and not leaving this very spot until she got some answers.

"Like hell. Thomas was a very huge part of my life, meaning he's the one that ended it. And you all act like it didn't happen. I've tried to let you open up about it on your own, but you haven't. So here's your chance. Tell me, or I stay at the beach house tonight, and every night until you decide to be open with me." she took several steps back and crossed her arms. She knew she was being difficult, but she had shared her darkest time with him and he couldn't even tell her about the man that killed her.

 _Marko_

He so badly wanted to shake her, pick her up and take her far away from here, somewhere far from Santa Carla. But he couldn't. He wasn't a runner, and he wasn't leaving his family. But he couldn't lose her either.

"I call your bluff" he snarled, mimicking her stance. He wasn't going to be threatened by her, he was already being threatened in another way.

"Fine" she shrugged and began walking towards a home store, he stared in confusion before groaning and following after her.

"You do realize that you can't stay anywhere other than the cave right? Because you will die?" he was definitely calling her bluff, she may be reckless but she wasn't stupid. And she wasn't going to kill herself over such a petty manner.

"I know." she said simply and walking off towards the back of the store, reading signs as she passed several aisles before stopping at the curtain aisle. He froze and narrowed his eyes at her, she wouldn't would she? He suppressed a growl and took off after her, she already had several blackout curtains in her hand, and was moving off to another aisle.

"Now what are you doing?" he questioned hesitantly. He didn't really think she would stay somewhere without him, but the curtains were making him nervous.

"Tape" he grabbed her arms and lifted her around until she was facing him again.

"What are you doing Cassandra?" he whispered and made eye contact

"I told you already. If you won't be open with me, I'll take action until you will be" she stared at him and he was .5 away from losing his shit. They both stared at each other, locked in a heated stare down that he was determined to win. But him winning this didn't mean he won. He didn't want her to stay anywhere else but his arms, but he could tell this was important to her. He didn't want to tell her, because he didn't want to scare her. And he didn't want her to view him differently. Not only was he scared of bringing up one of his kills, especially a girl one, he just didn't know enough. It frustrated him to no other that he still didn't know shit about Thomas, after months of him tailing them. But it was time he realized that she was here, with him. And that's where she wanted to be.

He breathed a sigh and rubbed a hand down his face angrily. "Fine, I'll tell you" he grumbled, she opened her mouth ready to respond.

"Cassandra?" they both whipped around towards the male voice, and Marko recognized that face from anywhere. That stupid face that he dreamed of ripping off. The guy from the boardwalk. Chase or something. "And Cassandra's brother, hello."

"Cameron, hi" she chirped and his stomach twisted violently. She was just mad. How did she change moods so quickly? And for this twat? Not happening.

"We're leaving" he growled and threw her stupid curtains down on the bench next to them and all but drug her out.

"See you around" he called and he felt her wave back to him

"Stop waving at him" he hissed and they finally made their way outside

"Jealous" she scoffed and he clenched his fist tightly so he wouldn't yell.

"I am n0t jealous. I just don't like him" he finalized and she rolled her eyes, didn't he tell her not to do that?

"You don't like anyone" she said honestly

"No I don't. I like you, and that's enough. And since when was his name Cameron?" he grumbled in annoyance, god when did he turn into such a cheese ball? But her smile was worth it, hell a stake to the heart would be worth her smile, if it was the last thing he ever saw.

"Probably since his birth I'd reckon." she raised both eyebrows at him and he scoffed in annoyance. "Please tell me, Marko" she whispered as she grabbed his hand, leading him down to the beach. There wasn't many people out tonight, probably because the temperature was dropping, and being out by the water was worse.

"I will" he promised as they sat down. He wrapped an arm around her once he realized there was a small tremble in her body. They didn't get cold anymore, but she was still all human and couldn't quite control everything that came with it yet.

"Thomas.. Thomas was a thorn in our side for some time now. I can't remember when it first started, but the boys and I felt someone following us about a year ago. He could have been watching us for longer, but it's hard to tell. Everytime we would pick up his scent, he would vanish. It was extremely annoying and insulting that the 4 of us couldn't catch him. This went on for months, and we couldn't figure out why he would be trailing us. We thought at first he was a believer and wanted to be like us, until his scent became stronger and we realized he already was one of us. He got bolder though, he would leave random bodies with ripped out throats throughout the city, trying to alert people of our existence. We had to clean up after him. But still, we didn't know why he was sticking to us. We did a little digging, with Max's help, and found out who he was. He wasn't much, a single dad that worked as a pharmacist, but not much else could be said about him. He was reclusive, which was both good and bad about him. I didn't find out until he captured you that his daughter was dead, by apparently my hand. I suppose that's as good as a reason as any to follow someone around. I still don't know how he knew it was me specifically, or maybe he just guessed. I just don't know." he pulled his hair tightly in frustration, tired of going in circles and ending nowhere.

"How does he know his daughter is dead?" she questioned lightly, grabbing my hands into her and squeezing them. I surged forward and captured her lips with my own, kissing her hard and slow. I pulled away and smiled and a whine came out of her throat.

"There were some bodies recovered. I'm guessing she was one of them. There was enough of her left that he was able to identify her, I guess" he shrugged and wanted to scream in frustration.

"Let's go find the other boys. I can tell you want to get back to the group." she whispered as she got up, dusting her butt off and holding out a hand to him.

"Why? You don't like it out here?" he questioned and he took her hand and yanked her down into his lap, pleased with her startled yelp.

"No. I like our bed better" she moaned as my tongue traced her throat, my grip tightening on her at her words.

"As much as I want to fuck you out here, and in our bed. We gotta get back to the boys, see if they've figured anything out. Your safety is my number one concern, and then we talk about sex" he grinned when her lower lip jutted out in a pout, finding her incredibly cute and feeling extremely lucky that she was his.

"Fine" she grumbled in annoyance but followed him back towards the screaming boardwalk anyways. Her steps slower than when she drug him out here. They reached the boys all looking angry and still no less confused.

"What's the plan boys?" he asked as they reached them, halting and pulling Cass to his side protectively.

"I think we need to have a sniff around. Make sure no one is following us, especially back home. We don't need to be attacked when we're sleeping." David spoke and everyone nodded.

"Okay Cass and…" he started but was immediately cut off by David shaking his head.

"No. Cassandra stays here, so does Erin. Dwayne and you will search East, and Paul and I will search West. They're safer here in the most crowded part of the boardwalk." his tone held finality but he was struggling with following orders, and from the looks of it, Paul and Dwayne were in the same boat.

"No one is safe at the boardwalk, you know that just as well as anyone" he snarled and David growled at him lowly.

"I said what I said and you will follow orders Marko, you all will. Now move" he screamed, and took off in his direction, Paul following hesitantly after him, giving Cass' shoulder a squeeze.

"Please be safe" she whispered to him and she came to give him a light kiss. He pressed his lips against hers hard and nodded.

"I'll be back in no time. Win me something, and it better not be another wolf. Those are our mortal enemies" he smiled and Dwayne followed after him after he gave Erin a kiss on the forehead and told her to stay with Cass.

 _Cass_

"I really hate this" she mumbled for the fifth time to Erin, who nodded in agreement.

"You keep saying that, and I keep agreeing" she sighed and they walked around aimlessly. Not veering off too far from where the boys left them.

"Erin, I'm still mad at you for shoving that baby in my face" she said honestly and Erin huffed in annoyance.

"You? What about me? I was hassled into holding that baby" she grumbled

"What friend makes another friend suffer with them?" she pouted

"A good one"

"Erin, the baby shit when I was holding it. He sneezed" she grimaced at the thought and her body shuddered in disgust. And then tensed when Erin began laughing loudly, causing the people walking by to give her weird looks.

"No fucking way" she burst into another fit of laughter and Cass wondered why she was friends with such a mean person.

"You're a terrible person" she huffed in annoyance

"So are you, it's why we're best friends" she smiled and laid her head on Cass' shoulder. "Everything is so different now" Erin whispered as she looked up at the sky.

"Yeah" she murmured quietly, thinking back on the short weeks they had been there.

"What do you think the people back home are thinking?" Erin quizzed and Cass shrugged in in response.

"We died or were kidnapped"

"I guess both are true for you"

"True"

"Cassandra? Hey, we meet again" she heard Cameron before she saw him, both girls jumping violently and turning towards the voice. "Shit sorry, didn't mean to scare you" he ran a hand through his hair and gave them a sheepish smile.

"Well ya fucking did" Erin glared at him

"Erin this is Cameron, Cameron, Erin" she introduced them and Cameron waved slightly.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry about that, really" he cleared his throat and looked around

"Where's your brother?" he asked and Erin's breath hitched, raising a brow at Cass. She shook her head.

"Around. He's hanging with some of his friends" she smiled and Erin giggled slightly, whispering so Cameron didn't hear her. "You're evil"

He raised a brow, a single thought floating through his mind "he has friends?" his confusion seeping onto his facial features. She wanted to die of laughter, but she couldn't. Later. She would definitely laugh later.

"So how are you on this fine evening?" she grinned at him and he shrugged

"Terrible" he answered honestly

"And why is that?" she questioned with a raised brow

"Because I went to the home store to get new coffee cups because all of mine are broken and I dropped my new coffee cups and broke them. I can't stand to go spend more money because I'm just going to break them again" he threw his hands up into the air in frustration and sat down hard on the bench with a huff.

"What a terrible thing" she mused aloud. No really, that was terrible. She didn't think anyone had that bad of luck.

"My life is over" he groaned and she laughed at him, poking his dimple and getting up quickly.

"Let's go gang. We gotta win some stuff" she smirked and darted off towards the ring toss

"Anything but that one" Erin hissed and Cameron nodded his head in agreement

"I didn't say you guys had to play, find something else" she mock glared at them paid the carni.

They spent 2 hours switching from game to game, Cass winning the most thanks to her heightened abilities. Annoying the shit out of Erin and confusing the shit out of Cameron.

"I don't see how you're so good at...everything" he wondered aloud and Erin snorted.

"She isn't, she's just damn lucky"

"That's not luck, that's otherworldly"

"Something like that" she spoke cryptically. Erin rolling her eyes and Cameron looking more confused than ever. "So Cam, have you lived in Santa Carla your whole life?" she asked as they settled into an outside restaurant.

"Yep, been in the murder capital my whole life!" he praised with a sarcastic smile overcoming his face.

"And your still alive" she raised a brow and leaned back when the waitress brought them over their drinks, her thoughts quickly going back to the night of her and Marko's date and the waitress they shared. She shivered in pleasure and hoped he would get back soon, she missed him.

"Somehow, I don't often find myself anywhere I could be murdered" he shrugged as if that was a good answer and she supposed it would be, had she not known who was doing the killings. Nowhere was really safe.

"And do you know where the murders are taking place?" she cocked her head as she sipped her drink, Erin glaring daggers at her over her cup.

"The beach" Cameron answered without missing a beat and Cass had to fight the surprise wanting to cover her face.

"What makes you say that?" she questioned, setting her drink down

"I don't think all of those fires are people just trying to warm themselves, or maybe they were intended for that and lost its purpose along the way" his words were spoken as if he knew, and he was very sure. Did Cameron know more than he let on? When she raised a brow in confusion, he continued. "The bodies have to disappear somewhere, they rarely find the missing people, or when they do there's barely anything left. About a year ago the officials recovered some bodies out of a fire that had gone out. It was around 6 AM, and they had been down on the beach because a dad had reported his daughter missing. They found her charred body in the ashes. It wasn't quite destroyed, but enough. It hadn't been burning very long." his voice was lowered as he said all this and the more he spoke, the more Cassandra's spine threatened to snap from how frozen she was. He couldn't be talking about Thomas? Could he? There's no way that's the connection.

"And what happened after that? What about the father?" she asked quickly, leaning in as if she were enthralled. He seemed to like the attention, and she really was interested. Perhaps this could be some valuable insight.

"I don't know much. I don't know the guy, but people say he went nuts. Which is understandable, considering he watched police pull his dead daughter's body out of a fire. He continued working, but people say he just kind of went...dark" he shrugged and smiled at the waitress as she sat their food down. Cass no longer felt hungry, and Erin looked extremely pale. She didn't know a lot, but she was very perceptive. Especially to her best friend who looked like she might vomit if vampires could vomit.

"Dark?" she squeaked

"Yeah, I dunno. They say he just slowly went down a dark path. Drinking, and stealing patients drugs. He had to close down the store once he went into debt. Then he disappeared for awhile, and a couple of months ago he popped back up. Looking healthy and happy, but no less creepy. I always got the feeling he didn't clean himself up naturally or healthy. No one ever saw him unless he was on the boardwalk at night, he seemed like he was on a mission." Yeah, because he was following the boys around. And it wasn't natural, he became damned. "As a matter of fact, I haven't seen him in awhile. Wonder if he found what he was looking for?" Cameron looked around, as if to see if he could spot the mysterious man.

"Why do you think he was looking for something?" she asked lowly, borderline terrified of his answer.

"Because he was always wandering around. He didn't talk to anyone, not really. And he just had this look, like he promised bad things to those that had wronged him. I saw him following your brother once." At this Cassandra let out a choked gasp, straightening and now knowing forsure this was Thomas. Who else would follow the boys?

"My brother?" she gulped

"Yeah, he hangs out with a bad crowd you know? I meant to ask you about him, but I haven't had the time." he leaned forward and she felt nauseous.

"Ask me what?"

"Well it's just, he's been here for quite some time, and you haven't. I know you said you're not new, and that's obvious but if he was your brother wouldn't you both be always around here?" he questioned and her entire mind went blank for a second. She could hear Erin screaming at her to think of something quick.

"Oh uh, yeah I get how that could be confusing. Our mom and dad divorced, and they let us choose who we could stay with. Bobby chose dad and I chose my mom. We moved and they stayed, only seeing each other sometimes, which is why I'm not new, new. But my mom was killed in a car accident a couple of months ago so I moved back." her words were rushed and they made sense but she had no idea why she was still lying to him. She only meant the brother comment as a joke, and to rile up Marko. But now it was this elaborate lie she had weaved and she couldn't find her way out of it. It was suffocating.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Has your brother taken the divorce and the death of your mom hard?" he questioned slowly and Cass nodded.

"We both did. But we both know their divorce was for the best, they weren't happy. But Bobby handles his emotions different than others, why do you ask?" Ok, not a total lie. Marko really did handle emotions...very..differently.

"He just seems….off" Cameron winced and she did too.

"Yeah, he..he's misunderstood. But he's a really good guy, and he cares deeply for those he's close to." she gave him a small smile and wondered when the hell they would be back because she was losing control of this situation fast.

"I'm sure. Well I hope you're doing alright, I couldn't imagine losing my parents, and I can tell you aren't that old. Too young to be burying a parent." he gave her a sympathetic smile and her heart wrenched. He had no clue how accurate his words were. It still killed her that she had never met her mom, had no recollection of burying her. But burying her father and little brother was gut wrenching. She barely moved past it.

"Thanks Cam, I hope you never do" she smiled back and picked at her fries, Cameron leaning across to steal some of hers. For once, she didn't care about anyone stealing her food, because she had long ago lost her appetite.

"So what do you think happened to that guy?" she questioned after a few minutes of silence, Erin let out a quiet groan calling Cass an idiot in her mind. But she couldn't help herself she was curious.

Curiosity killed the cat, though. Literally, because she died.

"Dead" he answered simply, dipping her fry into her ketchup and shoving it into his mouth. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in utter horror, he didn't seem to notice both her and Erin's bewildered stare, until he reached for another fry and caught a glimpse. He paused and furrowed his eyebrows. "Rarely does anyone go missing from Santa Carla without winding up dead." he clarified and Cass shook her head. Ok, he was just guessing. He doesn't know forsure. She could work with that.

"Well he did it before" she pointed out and he looked thoughtful for a moment

"True, but he was being weird. Snooping in places he probably shouldn't have been snooping, so no it wouldn't surprise me if he was dead." she scratched her eyebrow and nodded in understanding. Not much else she could say besides, yeah that guy is dead as Julius Caesar, which wouldn't work out well for anyone. So she kept her mouth shut and glared at him for scarfing down her fries.

"You're a hog" she hissed as he finished off her fries

"What? I'm hungry!" he protested and she rolled her eyes.

"It's fine, I'll starve" she sniffed and his face paled considerably

"I'll buy you more food! I'm sorry!" he apologized and she started laughing

"I'm joking, if I wanted my fries I would have slapped your hand away when you reached for the first one" she grinned and he gave her one back.

"Cassandra, Erin. Time to go" she looked over and saw Dwayne standing there, Marko standing behind him with David's hand on his shoulder. He looked murderous and Dwayne was sporting barely hidden rage.

"Well, it was nice talking to you. See you around?" she asked and he nodded happily.

"Definitely, be careful going home. It was nice meeting you, Erin." he smiled at her and she returned it, giving him a quick you too and moving to join Dwayne. He nodded at the other boys, his eyes lingering on Marko a second longer than the others before taking off in the opposite direction.

"Who the fuck was that?" Paul questioned as they began walking back towards their bikes. Marko was silent, fuming, and blocked off.

"His name is Cameron, he's a local. And before you say anything, he offered some insight into Thomas." she said, holding her palms out.

"What?" David snarled, "did you ask him?" he clenched his fists and Cass fought her eye roll.

"Of course not. I asked him if he lived here his whole life, and he said yes. And then he started talking about Santa Carla, and the deaths and please just look through my mind because I don't want to relay everything we talked about."

"But you don't want us to read your mind" Paul grumbled and she shot him a glare, the other boys already tearing through her memory of the conversation. They waited until David came to first.

"Well a lot of that makes sense, except for Bobby. Who is Bobby?" he asked and Marko growled lowly.

"Oh, that's Marko. When I first met Cam I introduced Marko as my brother Bobby, just for a joke. But it stuck and I'm glad it did or I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to talk to me tonight." she shrugged and ignored Marko's growls. They were pointless anyways.

"Hahaha" Paul began laughing "Bobby, how the hell did you come up with that"

"Doesn't make sense. How does he know so much, and how have we never seen him before?" Dwayne questioned and he and David shared a glance.

"Perhaps you guys aren't as good at noticing things as you thought. I'm sure a lot of people know who you guys are, especially the locals."

"I know a lot of the locals, and a lot of them choose to stay in at night. He isn't from here" David said shaking his head.

"Why would he lie?" she crossed her arms

"Why are you defending him?" Marko mocked and she huffed at him

"I just don't think you guys should go picking battles when there isn't a reason" she justified and Erin nodded.

"I agree. He seemed cool and genuine"

"Whatever" David grunted and led them back towards the cave. Marko not saying one word, even when they reached it.

"Anyways, did you guys find anything while you were out? And lingering scents?" she questioned when they got inside and they all shook their heads.

"Nothing, the smell was fleeting. It's like it came and then it disappeared all in one go, doesn't make sense." Dwayne shook his head in confusion.

"So maybe it wasn't what you thought?" she said slowly and they all shook their heads violently.

"No, we all knew what we smelled. It definitely had Thomas' scent all over it." David finished the conversation by walking off towards their sleeping area, Paul following after ruffling Cass' hair. Dwayne chose to stay with Erin in another room, and Marko plopped down on the couch, pigeon in hand. She stared at him for a moment, and when he made no point to look at her, or no move to follow her she huffed and hugged Erin good night and found her way back to her room.

She stripped and slipped under the covers, wondering where Marko was and wondering if he was going to come sleep with her. Right before she fell asleep she heard him come into the room, taking off his jacket and boots, then his jeans and climbing into bed with her.

"Hi baby" she whispered tiredly, curling around him and kissing his arm. He breathed slowly and rubbed his fingers down her spine. Stopping once he reached her ass, kneading it firmly.

"You have no idea how much I want to rip other boys apart when they look at you" he kissed her cheek, and then her jaw, licking it slowly before descending to her neck. "You have no idea how many boys stare at you Cassandra, I know you're oblivious to it, and that makes me happy. But it pisses me off that they stare at what's mine" he growled into her neck and she shivered at the vibrations.

She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and he shivered when her lips met it, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as she scorched her lips around his neck. Biting it occasionally and licking some of the blood that rose to the surface. "God Cass" he moaned once she took hold of his confined dick, squeezing it and running her hand up and down. Finally reaching in and grabbing him firmly, swiping her thumb over the top, reveling in the way he arched into her hand.

"I only want you, always" she kissed his cheek as her hand picked up the pace, jerking him off fast. His hips were stuttering and he was such a sight that she reached down and began rubbing herself to the sight of him coming undone, moaning loudly when he released a deep groan. His eyes flashed open and he knocked her hand away, ripping the covers off and watching her hand. She watched him through hooded eyes, slowing her movements and arching when he licked his lips in desire.

"So sexy" he murmured, capturing her fingers and sucking them into his mouth, coating them in his saliva before putting them back on her, helping her rub herself. "Fuck" he mumbled and abruptly pinned her to arms to the bed hard.

"Jesus H. Christ" she grumbled in annoyance and he ignored her, giving her neck gentle bites like she had him earlier.

"Jesus has nothing to do with it baby" he said as he stripped his shirt off, his boxers following quickly, in less than 2 seconds he was sheathing himself inside of her. Biting her lip hard to suppress the scream threatening to rip out at the unexpected intrusion. His pace was slow, deliberate. Rocking into her hard, and pulling out slowly, making sure she felt every bit of him when he did so. He was driving her insane, her nails making small crescent moon's in his shoulder blades when he would deliver another powerful thrust. If she could sweat, she would have been a puddle. For the pace was driving her mad and he knew it, he could barely control himself. But he was making a point, only he could make her feel this way. But she didn't need to be reminded, she knew that already.

"Mine" he growled into her ear, reaching down and rubbing her clit slowly, the feeling making her whole body jolt. So close to the edge, only needing a couple more thrusts before falling over. He knew this. His pace got slightly faster, obviously excited for their impending orgasm's.

"Yours" she finally replied and they came undone together, Marko biting into her neck and her returning the favor, swallowing mouthfuls before licking the wounds clean. He delivered a few more harsh thrusts to drag out their feelings, Cass letting out a guttural scream when he made her finish again unexpectedly, Marko moaning at the feeling of her tightening around him once again. He pulled out and collapsed next to her.

"Damn baby, I made you finish twice" he grinned and she swatted at him in annoyance, though it was half hearted considering she was dazed.

"Shut up" she grumbled and resumed cuddling him. He laughed and kissed the crown of her head, cuddling her right back. "Goodnight love" she whispered half asleep, not feeling Marko's body tense after the word love, not even realizing she said it at all. Nor did she hear him repeat the words, only he added my in front of love.

 _ **Alright some shit's a brewing, don't say I didn't warn ya! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, hope you enjoyed and keep enjoying! :)**_


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